Protests in Russia, 45 detained so far

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Thousands of protesters on Saturday hit the Russian streets spread over nine time zones even as at least 45 people were detained for taking part in rallies against last Sunday's Duma polls won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party allegedly through ballot rigging.

The protesters, many with children are converging at two rallies in downtown Moscow, one of which has been banned by the authorities, who have vowed to crack down in case of violation of public law.

The Kremlin and adjoining Red Square have been cordoned off by the heavily reinforced interior troops and riot police.

The protest demonstrations and rallies began in the city of Vladivostok on Russia's Pacific Coast, when it was early morning here.

The Interior Ministry said a total of 45 people have so far been detained across Russia for taking part in unsanctioned rallies and violating public order so far as the protesters converge for the rally in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square.

The state-controlled channels have blacked out the news about the protest rallies and people are using the opposition websites.

Government funded English language Russia Today TV and RIA Novosti's foreign languages newswires are providing some coverage for the foreign audience.

Russia Today TV reported that at least 20,000 people were present at the Bolotnaya Square near the Kremlin across the river Moskva diving the city. Interfax reported that protests in the Urals city of Perm attracted several dozen people followed by minor public disturbances which ended with 15 detentions.

A rally in the Siberian city of Tomsk, home of Indian ONGC's subsidiary Imperial Energy, has gathered up to 3,000 people so far, according to estimates. Local police say more protesters are arriving.

Protests in Orenburg near Kazakh border in the Urals and Hometown of AK-47 assault rifle's inventor Izhevsk attracted about 200 people each, police said.

In the science city of Novosibirsk, up to four thousand people took part in a sanctioned rally in the city centre.

Some 1,000 people rallied in the southern Siberian city of Barnaul, about 200 at the central square in other Siberian cities of Chita and Krasnoyarsk. More than 50 people tried to stage an unsanctioned rally in Russia's Far East city of Khabarovsk.

On Tuesday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of sending 'signal' to anti-Kremlin opposition, which he alleged 'started active work' with backing of the US State Department.