MOSCOW: Supporters of Russian anti-corruption opposition figurehead currently serving a 20-day jail sentence pushed ahead with nationwide protests on Saturday, coinciding with President Vladimir Putin's 65th birthday.
Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Putin, called for rallies in over 80 Russian cities, many of which had not been sanctioned by Moscow - a prerequisite for such political gatherings in the country, Efe news reported.
Opposition demonstrators, who were expected in large crowds in Putin's hometown St. Petersburg, were calling on state officials to allow Navalny to run in the 2018 presidential elections from which he had been ruled out due to embezzlement convictions.
He called the embezzlement charges "purely political".
Protesters also urged for an end to Putin's reign over Russia, a country he has led since 2000, alternating between the posts of President and Prime Minister.
Navalny was arrested on September 29 as he made his way to a unsanctioned rally but he briefly left police custody on Friday to appeal his detention, during which he claimed that state officials wanted to make sure he was imprisoned on Putin's birthday.
His appeal was rejected by the court. Previous rallies staged by Navalny met with brutal police clampdowns and mass arrests.
Navanly's outspoken criticism of Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev earned him enemies and in April he was attacked by assailants who threw toxic brilliant green solution at his face.
He required surgery on his eye to prevent him from going blind.