Thousands of Russians gathered on Sunday in the center of Moscow to protest against a law banning US citizens from adopting Russian children. Another demand of the rally called ‘Against the Scoundrels’ was to call for the dissolution of parliament, which initiated the legislation.

      The march, authorized by Moscow officials, started at 2pm local time (10:00 GMT) and had to be finished by 4:30pm. Protest organizers said some 50,000 people had attended the march, while police put the figure at just 9,500. Nine people were detained by the police due to 'breaking laws governing participation in mass events.'

      The main slogans were “Hands off the children!”, “Shame” and "Putin is a scoundrel!" Some protesters carried placards portraying lawmakers who voted for the ban. Participants were also holding toys and pictures of children.

      The leader of the opposition Left Front Movement, Sergey Udaltsov, has called for activists to stage “unlimited” protests in spring, probably including sitting in on squares.