Russian opposition holds rallies on Putin's birthday

Moscow - Thousands of people have flocked to rallies across Russia in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, in an event that coincided with the birthday of President Vladimir Putin.

In Moscow, thousands gathered at Pushkinskaya Square on Saturday under a heavy police presence, chanting: "Putin will leave! We will not!" and "Happy birthday!" The crowd attempted to march towards Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin but was prevented by police.

"I wanted to come out on Putin's birthday to protest. He has done already a lot of harm. I'm against him and for free elections," Inna Kavatsun, a 55-year-old retired real estate agent, told Al Jazeera.

Ivan, an 18-year-old university student who did not provide his last name, noted that protesters wanted "to express our disagreement with what is going on in this country".