MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of cars are circling central Moscow to demand that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin allow free elections in Russia.
As they travel along the wide Garden Ring, which makes a 16-kilometer (nearly 10-mile) loop around the Kremlin, the cars are flying the white ribbons and balloons that have become a symbol of the peaceful anti-Putin protest movement.
Sunday’s demonstration is taking place two weeks before the presidential election that Putin is expected to win. None of the four challengers to him poses a serious threat, but Putin does need to get a majority of the vote to avoid a runoff.
A similar protest in support of Putin drew at least 2,000 cars late Saturday.
Putin’s supporters have been trying to counter the opposition protests by showing that they too can bring people out onto the street.
