Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
12th June 2012, 12:24
Anti-government protesters have begun marching in Russia's capital Moscow, ahead of a major rally to demand fresh elections and a new president.
The protest, on a national holiday, comes a day after police raided the homes of several prominent activists.
They were all ordered to report for questioning on Tuesday, and so were likely to miss the march.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin signed a new law increasing fines for those who violate protest laws.
Mr Putin won a third presidential term in March amid protests over alleged fraud in December's parliamentary vote.
This is the first big anti-government rally in Russia since Mr Putin returned to the Kremlin, says the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
There are tens of thousands of protesters, a sea of flags, banners and placards flowing through the centre of Moscow, he says.
The demonstrators have been chanting "Putin is a thief" and "Russia without Putin".
Mr Putin appears to be taking a harder line against the opposition, correspondents say.
Shortly before the rally, independent media websites went down. The BBC could not access the Moscow Echo radio website, and other news agencies reported difficulty reaching that of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.
(More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18405306)
The protest, on a national holiday, comes a day after police raided the homes of several prominent activists.
They were all ordered to report for questioning on Tuesday, and so were likely to miss the march.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin signed a new law increasing fines for those who violate protest laws.
Mr Putin won a third presidential term in March amid protests over alleged fraud in December's parliamentary vote.
This is the first big anti-government rally in Russia since Mr Putin returned to the Kremlin, says the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
There are tens of thousands of protesters, a sea of flags, banners and placards flowing through the centre of Moscow, he says.
The demonstrators have been chanting "Putin is a thief" and "Russia without Putin".
Mr Putin appears to be taking a harder line against the opposition, correspondents say.
Shortly before the rally, independent media websites went down. The BBC could not access the Moscow Echo radio website, and other news agencies reported difficulty reaching that of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper.
(More at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18405306)