Thousands of people in far-eastern Russia on Saturday began what are expected to be nationwide protests against the Kremlin's economic policies, reported dpa.
About 5,000 people in Vladivostock and Khabarovsk took to the streets, Echo Moskvy radio reported.
In the east, demonstrators protested against higher import tariffs on foreign cars that are meant to protect Russia's ailing domestic auto industry. Millions of drivers in the Asian part of Russia prefer used cars made in Japan and South Korea.
In the course of the day, the opposition plans to also demand a change in the Kremlin's leadership in protests in Moscow, where 5,000 police officers were deployed to keep the peace.
It was unclear whether all the demonstrations had been authorized by the government.
United Russia, headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, also called on its members to stage their own rallies Saturday, and several thousand people turned out on United Russia's request to carry out state-sanctioned patrols in far-eastern cities.
Russia has been hit with rising prices, a plummeting ruble and higher unemployment. The fall in oil prices and the economic downturn would cause state revenues to fall 40 per cent this year, the government warned.
About 20 demonstrations were planned Saturday alone in Moscow. Organizers were also demanding a resolution to the double murder of human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova in Moscow in mid-January.