'Strongman' Putin mocks Russia protestors, rejects demands

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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was untroubled by a protest wave that shook his 12-year domination of Russia but ruthlessly mocked the opposition and rejected claims of election rigging.

In his annual phone-in session, Putin sought to show his strongman image was intact despite rallies alleging fraud in parliamentary polls that have posed an unexpected challenge ahead of his planned return to the Kremlin in 2012.

He poked fun at the white ribbon that the protestors have used as their symbol - saying he thought it was part of an anti-AIDS campaign - and alleged that some had been paid by the United States.

"I saw on television mostly young, active people clearly expressing their position. I am pleased to see this," Putin said in his first reaction to the demonstrations over the December 4 polls.

"And if this is the result of the Putin regime, then this is good. I see nothing extraordinary about it."

Referring to the white ribbons, he said, "I decided that it was an anti-AIDS campaign... that they pinned on contraceptives, I beg your pardon, only folding them in a strange way."

Tens of thousands demonstrated on Saturday in Moscow in Russia's biggest show of popular discontent since the turbulent 1990s, appearing to show the once invincible support of Putin was on the wane.

Putin - who last week accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of encouraging the Russian opposition - also alleged that some of the demonstrators were hired to protest against the government.

"I know that students were paid some money - well, that's good if they could earn something," he said.

Putin - who now faces three tricky months to shore up his support before the March presidential elections - also warned protestors that 'allowing yourself to get sucked into any kind of scheme to destabilise society is incorrect and unacceptable'.

The opposition is planning a new protest in Moscow on December 24 to call for the invalidation of the election results that it predicts will again attract tens of thousands.