St. Petersburg sees ‘fair elections’ march (VIDEO)

Thousands of opposition protesters have gathered in the heart of St. Petersburg to march for ‘fair elections’ a week before the Russian presidential ballots are scheduled to take place.

Although the protest had not been sanctioned, no arrests have been made. The city saw a heavy police presence during the rally, but no incidents have been reported.The demonstrators marched through the city carrying flags, banners and posters and chanting slogans. The crowd gathered at St. Petersburg’s Konyushennaya Square. Anti-corruption blogger Aleksey Navalny has given a speech at the square, calling on the people to take it to the streets in mass protest on March 5, a day after the Russian presidential elections will take place.According to the authorities around 2,500 people took part in the rally. The protest organizers however are claiming at least 15,000 participants.