24 December 2011
Last updated at 05:29 ET
Demonstrators in Moscow held a poster of Vladimir Putin draped in a condom after he compared the protest symbol of a white ribbon to a sheath
Thousands of people have gathered in central Moscow to protest against allegedly rigged parliamentary polls.
A sea of demonstrators stretched along Sakharov Avenue, a few miles from the Kremlin, in sub-zero temperatures.
Rallies are taking place across Russia, with the first big protest in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
In the capital, Moscow, organisers expect some 50,000 people to gather for speeches by opposition figures.
President Dmitry Medvedev announced political reforms this week, but many demonstrators say it is not enough.
They are demanding a re-run of the poll, which was won by the party of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin – but with a much smaller share of the overall vote.
The Moscow mayor’s office is reportedly laying on tea and simple hot food from field kitchens.
Security is tight in
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