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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Russia election: Protesters defy rally ban in Moscow | Russia election: Protesters defy rally ban in Moscow |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Russian protesters defying a ban on unapproved rallies have faced off with supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow city centre. | |
| Protesters chanted slogans against the ruling party as the Putin loyalists beat drums and chanted "Putin, Russia". | Protesters chanted slogans against the ruling party as the Putin loyalists beat drums and chanted "Putin, Russia". |
| Police arrested at least 100 protesters, including veteran liberal politician Boris Nemtsov. | |
| A rally on Monday against alleged fraud in Sunday's parliamentary elections was Moscow's biggest protest in years. | |
| Mr Putin has played down losses by his party, United Russia, which won but with just under 50% of the vote, a sharp drop in its support. | Mr Putin has played down losses by his party, United Russia, which won but with just under 50% of the vote, a sharp drop in its support. |
| Correspondents say the result reflects Mr Putin's declining popularity ahead of his bid for the Russian presidency in March. | Correspondents say the result reflects Mr Putin's declining popularity ahead of his bid for the Russian presidency in March. |
| Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) say the election was slanted in favour of Mr Putin's party, United Russia. | Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) say the election was slanted in favour of Mr Putin's party, United Russia. |
| Navalny jailed | Navalny jailed |
| Live video from Moscow's Triumphal Square, on a major road artery close to the Kremlin, showed crowds of rival demonstrators shouting slogans on Tuesday evening. | Live video from Moscow's Triumphal Square, on a major road artery close to the Kremlin, showed crowds of rival demonstrators shouting slogans on Tuesday evening. |
| They knew they could be arrested by riot police. They knew they could spend two weeks in prison for disobeying police orders. | |
| But hundreds of middle-class Muscovites, possibly thousands, came out on to the streets, demonstrating illegally. | |
| It was the 2nd day of protests organised using social media against what they believed was a fixed election. And against Russia's crippling corruption. | |
| "Putin and Medvedev are thieves", one IT specialist told me when I asked why he had come. | |
| Illegal demonstrations in Russia are an intimidating experience for first-time participants, and this was Moscow after dark, in winter. But the crowd seemed to be relishing it. Even though they knew the water cannon were parked around the corner, and hundreds of pro-Putin youths were only yards away. | |
| "Russia without Putin" they shouted. And then cried "Shame!" when another one of their number was dragged away by the Omon riot police. | |
| Eyewitnesses said up to 500 protesters took part, facing a much larger group of Putin supporters from United Russia and the Nashi youth movement. | |
| Footage from the scene was broadcast over the internet by the Russian citizen journalism outlet Ridus (audio in Russian), and was still being followed by at least 30,000 viewers hours after the rally. | |
| According to an Associated Press reporter, two fireworks were thrown at a crowd of Putin supporters. It was not immediately clear who had thrown them or if they had caused any injuries, the agency said, correcting an initial reference to "fire bombs". | |
| While police spoke officially of 100 arrests, a source told Interfax news agency the true number was about 200. | |
| Correspondents say Mr Nemtsov and other protesters were hauled off to waiting police vehicles. | Correspondents say Mr Nemtsov and other protesters were hauled off to waiting police vehicles. |
| At Monday's protest, which drew several thousand people, police made at least 300 arrests and two key figures in the protest were both jailed for 15 days on Tuesday. | |
| Well-known anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny was convicted of obstructing the course of justice and Ilya Yashin, leader of the Solidarity party, was convicted of a similar offence. | Well-known anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny was convicted of obstructing the course of justice and Ilya Yashin, leader of the Solidarity party, was convicted of a similar offence. |
| The arrest of the two men was heavily tweeted by Russian bloggers, who circulated photos of Mr Navalny and others in custody. | The arrest of the two men was heavily tweeted by Russian bloggers, who circulated photos of Mr Navalny and others in custody. |
| "There is not a single doubt that my case is under the special control of the party of crooks and thieves," he told reporters in court ahead of being charged, referring to United Russia. | "There is not a single doubt that my case is under the special control of the party of crooks and thieves," he told reporters in court ahead of being charged, referring to United Russia. |
| 'Inevitable losses' | |
| The Russian interior ministry has denied any extra security measures in Moscow, saying that police and troop movements in the city were a "rotation". | The Russian interior ministry has denied any extra security measures in Moscow, saying that police and troop movements in the city were a "rotation". |
| Its press service told Interfax that 51,500 police including 2,000 interior troops had been on a state of alert since 1 December, as part of election preparations. | |
| "Statements that extra forces are being drafted into Moscow do not correspond to reality," it said. | "Statements that extra forces are being drafted into Moscow do not correspond to reality," it said. |
| Speaking to United Russia officials in Moscow earlier on Tuesday, Mr Putin suggested that electoral losses were inevitable for any party in power. | |
| "Yes, there were losses and they are inevitable," the prime minister and former two-term president said, quoted by Russian news agencies. | |
| "They are inevitable for any political force, especially for one which, not for the first year, bears the brunt of responsibility for the situation in the country." | |
| Mr Putin also rejected the accusation by Mr Navalny and others that his party was especially corrupt. | |
| "This is a label applied not to a specific political party but to authorities [in general]," he said, promising to tackle the issue. | |
| Are you in Russia? Are you in Moscow? What do you think of the situation after the election? Send us your comments and experiences. | Are you in Russia? Are you in Moscow? What do you think of the situation after the election? Send us your comments and experiences. |