Hundreds protest Putin in Moscow
Demonstrators take part in anti-Putin rally in the central Arbat area in Moscow, on March 10. Russia’s protest movement against Vladimir Putin rallied several thousand people for a new demonstration that is a test of their strength and tactics after his crushing election victory.
Russian police arrested some two dozen anti-government protesters Saturday as anger grows over Vladimir Putin's recent presidential victory and his clamp down on free speech.
Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Moscow to protest Putin's return to office and a recent documentary that accused opposition leaders of treason, the Associated Press reported.
More than 20 people were detained in Revolution Square and nearby Pushkin Square, on charges of holding an unsanctioned rally, according to The Washington Post. Police said they were released shortly afterward.
More from GlobalPost: Russia's anti-Putin activists worry as protest peters out
Opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov, who was released from a 10-day jail term Friday night told the crowd "this power is not legitimate. Impostors, get out of the Kremlin!," wrote the AP.
Demonstrators shouted "Russia without Putin!" This is the third term for Putin, who was Russia's president from 2000-2008.
Earlier this month he was re-elected in the face of massive protests that called for him to step down and concerns of election fraud.
The rallies are the largest since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
More from GlobalPost: Burma: Ready for business?
Udaltsov is urging Russians to participate in the opposition's March of A Million rally planned for May 6, a day before Putin's presidential inauguration which is scheduled for May 7.