... organizers,” Mayorov said in reference to Sunday’s violence-tarnished March of a Million rally on Bolotnaya Ploshchad, according to RIA-Novosti. He did not elaborate on the restrictions that would be inserted into City Hall authorizations for rallies. But he said the rules for requesting permission to rally, which are defined by the law, would not be changed. Still, those rules may change soon. Former President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Cabinet in late April to introduce proposals for amending...

... ‘for fair government’ and ‘for Russia without Putin.’ We don’t consider the elected president or the current parliament legitimate. Our central demand is new elections.” Bolotnaya Ploshchad was the site of two earlier rallies and a symbol of the movement, which began with a call for new elections after December’s parliamentary vote but now includes demands for broad democratic reforms. While organizers are hopeful that the turnout will equal the size of earlier...

About 150 people were detained Sunday as scores of people gathered for a series of anti-government demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. About 150 people were detained Sunday as scores of people gathered for a series of anti-government demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Police detained some 40 people outside the Mayor's Office, where gay rights activists gathered to protest anti-gay legislation passed in several Russian cities and waiting for a vote in the capital. YouTube footage...

... tear gas and gas masks, and behind police cordons several water-cannon trucks stood ready. The situation could easily have degenerated into a massive, deadly riot. Fortunately, the violence did not escalate, although many were injured. In contrast to rallies in December, February and March, the May 6 rally was not well organized. What's more, some of the leaders planned beforehand that they would remain at the site after the approved time for the rally had expired. This led to clashes with police...

... bar owned by Andrei Kobzon, the son of crooner and Duma Deputy Iosif Kobzon, RIA-Novosti reported. Despite the public glad-handing, the sentiment driving recent anti-Kremlin protests was not far away. Some opposition groups staged smaller pro-labor rallies Tuesday in Moscow and cities around Russia, although organizers of the nonsystemic opposition marshaled their strength for a sanctioned protest on May 6, on the eve of Putin's inauguration. Several protesters were detained in both Moscow and St...

Police arrested 22 people Tuesday during a rally called Left March on Trubnaya Ploshchad. Police arrested 22 people Tuesday during a rally called Left March on Trubnaya Ploshchad. A police spokesman said that during the planned 500-person march, a group of people were taken into custody for "disturbing the order of the rally." Police said they wore masks — which they refused to remove — and declared themselves to be anarchists. A search of the people under custody revealed...

Gas-filled balloons exploded at a campaign rally in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Friday, injuring 154 people. Video footage of the accident at the political rally in Yerevan. Gas-filled balloons exploded at a campaign rally in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Friday, injuring 154 people. Armenian authorities are working to identify what gas was used to blow up the balloons, RIA-Novosti reported, citing a statement by the country's emergency services ministry. The balloons were apparently...

... violence. About 450 were arrested after clashing with police, and at least two dozen protesters and around 30 police officers were injured. Federal lawmakers have been considering a bill that would greatly increase penalties for violating rules at rallies and could be ready in time for the June 12 event. The State Duma last week tentatively approved the bill, which would increase fines from 2,000 rubles to 1 million rubles (from $65 to $32,400), with penalties for organizers climbing from 5,000...

... clashes broke out between them. About 450 demonstrators were arrested, and at least two dozen protesters and around 30 police officers were injured. The State Duma has been considering a bill that would greatly increase penalties for violating rules at rallies and could be ready in time for the next major opposition rally, planned for June 12. The Duma last week tentatively approved the bill, which would increase fines from 2,000 rubles to 1 million rubles (from $65 to $32,400), with penalties for organizers...

... along Ulitsa Bolshaya Yakimanka has begun, with participants singing songs “from the war years,” Interfax reported. Demonstrators have also extended a 50-meter-long white ribbon, the symbol of the nascent opposition movement. As at past rallies, demonstrators have brought with them signs with various messages. One man held a sign reading “There's no 3rd term in our constitution,” referring to controversial language in the constitution regarding the number of presidential...

Pro-Kremlin group the All-Russia People's Front announced Friday that it will hold an event with 50,000 participants at Poklonnaya Gora on Sunday, the same day opposition forces plan to rally across town at Bolotnaya Ploshchad. Anti-Putin Rallies Set to Greet Inauguration Pro-Kremlin political group the All-Russia People's Front announced Friday that it will hold an event with 50,000 participants at Poklonnaya Gora on Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the group's founding and the...

... from aspiring authors in a plastic bag. Marchers said they were appalled by the violence at the May 6 rally and welcomed the authors’ march. “It was scary. It seemed like a completely different group from the one that had been going to the rallies,” said Ksenia Velembovskaya, 60, editor of an academic journal. “Today, I feel great. These are our people.” Unlike the mass police presence last week, the peaceful march was epitomized by a policeman who stood near the Pushkin...

A day after the first violent clashes between police and demonstrators since rallies began in December, central Moscow on Monday became the focal point of a game of cat-and-mouse as protesters gathered in flash mobs across boulevards and down side streets to show their force and anger. Video of police on Monday raiding the cafe...

In a blow to the anti-government rallies, the State Duma is moving to introduce exorbitant penalties for protesters who defy the authorities. In a blow to the anti-government rallies, the State Duma is moving to introduce exorbitant penalties for protesters who...

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday defended a bill introducing fines of $30,000 or more for people who organize or participate in unauthorized rallies. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday defended a bill introducing fines of $30,000 or more for people who organize or participate in unauthorized rallies. The Kremlin human rights council had asked him to veto the bill. Media reports have said...

... they described as a draconian measure on Wednesday. United Russia deputies said the new rules are necessary to prevent a repeat of the May 6 protest, which was marred by violence, and that they could add amendments to ban past offenders from organizing rallies and participants from wearing masks. President Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency has sparked the largest protests since early March. In addition to the May 6 rally, activists have staged several mass "strolls," in an act of defiance...

At a long-planned opposition event Sunday that drew unexpectedly large crowds, demonstrators who gathered to protest Vladimir Putin's imminent inauguration as president clashed with riot police in the first major opposition protest to involve violence . Photo Gallery: Protesters and Police Clash at 'March of Millions' Archived Live Blog: 'March of Millions' and People's Front Rally At a long-planned opposition event Sunday that drew unexpectedly large crowds, demonstrators who gathered to protest...

A senior city official denied Monday that plans were afoot to close an opposition protest camp on Chistiye Prudy, now in its sixth day. A senior city official denied Monday that plans were afoot to close an opposition protest camp on Chistiye Prudy, now in its sixth day. “The event on Chistiye Prudy is still technically a street festival, which doesn't require permission from City Hall,” said Alexei Maiorov, head of the city’s regional security department, according to Interfax...

... slogan to add to its repertoire: "cigarettes and alcohol." Opposition figures including Just Russia Duma Deputy Dmitry Gudkov were among several speakers to address a newly formed trade association called the Coalition of Kiosk Owners, which rallied on Pushkin Square on Saturday to protest plans to prohibit the ubiquitous small retail outlets from selling beer and tobacco. "Just as you cannot get an honest response [from the authorities] about your trade issues, so we can't get honest...

... who had hoped that scheduling a four-day public holiday around Putin's inauguration would encourage the middle class, who make up the bulk of the demonstrators, to go to their dachas or on mini vacations abroad rather than hit the streets. This week's rallies also have come as a surprise to many observers, who noted that interest among protesters had been declining in the months since tens of thousands of people first rallied on Bolotnaya Ploshchad in December to decry disputed State Duma elections...