'Russia Without Putin' was the favorite chant of thousands of demonstrators who marched within earshot of the Kremlin in the largest pro-democracy demonstration since Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000.
Russians Protest for Democracy
Russian police troops patrol near closed Red Square in Moscow, Russia, December 11, 2011. (AP)
Downtown Moscow streets were lined with with riot police and military trucks on December 10, 2011. (Y. Weeks)
A sign near Bolotnaya Square in central Moscow reads, "Return elections to our country," December 10, 2011. (Y. Weeks)
Protesters, carrying placards saying "Stop lying," gathered in central Moscow to express their discontent with recent parliamentary elections in which United Russia, the ruling party, received what they say was more than a legitimate percentage of votes,
One of the posters carried by protesters said "A state without justice is just a group of crooks," in central Moscow, December 10, 2011. (Y. Weeks)
Russian nationalists stand holding old Russian imperial flags during their rally at Bolotnaya Square, on an island in the Moscow River adjacent to the Kremlin in Moscow, December 11, 2011. (AP)
Protesters brought flowers to signify that the rally was peaceful, Moscow, December 10, 2011. (Y. Weeks)
Newlyweds near Red Square cheer the protesters as they pass, December 10, 2011. (Y. Weeks)