On Saturday, December 15, many opposition activists took part in a peaceful, unsanctioned rally in Moscow, despite subzero temperatures and the city officials' ban.

      The main idea of holding the rally this Saturday was to mark the first anniversary of mass protests in Russia and to honor political prisoners. The rally's participants laid flowers at a monument to victims of Soviet political persecution.

      Police cordoned off the square, but allowed people to gather in Moscow’s downtown Lubyanka Square. Most protesters were not carrying placards or shouting slogans, as any of these activities prohibited at unsanctioned events.

      Still up to 69 people were detained, including opposition leaders Sergey Udaltsov and Aleksey Navalny, police said in the wake of the event. Police added only those were arrested who did not follow the law enforcers' orders.

      Accroding to the police reports, about 700 people took part in the unsanctioned event. Russian liberal media estimated the crowd at between 3,000 and 7,000.

      The unsanctioned rally was preceded by several rounds of negotiations between the opposition and authorities, but the sides could not reach an agreement on a march route.