Dectember 10 protest in Moscow.
Russia
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Moscow in a show of anger over disputed parliamentary polls.
The opposition says the protest - on an island just south of the Kremlin - could become the largest the country has seen in two decades.
Smaller rallies have taken place in cities across the country.
Protesters allege there was widespread fraud in Sunday's polls - though the ruling United Russia party saw its share of the vote fall sharply.
Hundreds of people have been arrested during anti-Putin protests over the past week, mainly in Moscow and St Petersburg.
At least 50,000 police and riot troops were deployed in Moscow ahead of Saturday's protests.
Authorities have permitted up to 30,000 to attend the demonstration dubbed "For Fair Elections".
Rallies have seen thousands turn out in cities in across the Urals and Siberia and as far east as Vladivostok, seven timezones to the east of Moscow, where several hundred people marched earlier on Saturday.
Police say at least 15,000 people - among them communists, nationalists and liberals - have so far thronged in Moscow, and more crowds are heading towards the rally.
In Moscow, the two sides reached a deal by which authorities would allow a high turnout if the rally was relocated from central Revolution Square to Bolotnaya Square, a narrow island in the Moscow River where access points can be easily controlled.
Hundreds of police are standing by to make sure they don't rally in Revolution Square.
The authorities permitted demonstrations to take place in specific locations in certain cities after negotiations with opposition leaders.
In St Petersburg, 13,000 people have pledged on the social networking site Vkontakte to take part in protests, with another 20,000 saying they might take part.


















































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