Opposition figure Sergei Udaltsov warned Moscow officials on Wednesday over possible "spontaneous" events if an anti-Kremlin demonstration is not permitted.

file photoA new application to hold a march and a rally on Sept. 15, filed by activists after Tuesday's failed attempt to get permission for a 50,000-strong protest, proved unsuccessful, Interfax reported.

"If there is another refusal, we will have a vote on the Internet to ask whether the event should be held and where," Udaltsov told the news agency. "And we tell City Hall that they should not allow the situation to get to the point where people go to the streets spontaneously."

Wrong person

The reason given for scrapping the protesters' application was that one of the rally organizers had committed two administrative offenses during the year, and by the rules adopted earlier in 2012, could not organize mass events.

Administrative charges have become common for members of the recent dissident movement since it grew more violent after President Vladimir Putin's third victory in this year's presidential vote.

Sergei Davidis, who has been barred from organizing rallies, according to police, claimed he had only received one administrative charge this year.

"Before submitting the request, I checked everything with databases run by the police and the courts," he told Interfax.

The organizers, however, decided not to get involved in disputes with the authorities, but replace the member of the liberal Solidarnost movement with another activist, Denis Bilunov, Udaltsov said.

No route changes

The still-unauthorized event was named a new March of Millions, after another anti-Kremlin demonstration held one night prior to Putin's inauguration.

Over 400 people were detained after the peaceful demonstration ended with clashes with police, which the opposition believes to have been orchestrated by the Kremlin. A criminal case was later opened against 16 people after investigators described it as "mass unrest."

The proposed route for the new march was to take protesters from Ploshchad Tverskoi Zastavy, down Tverskaya Ulitsa to the Kremlin, where a rally had been planned. The location has not been changed in the request filed on Wednesday, Udaltsov said.

Head of Moscow's security department, Alexei Maiorov, told Interfax that this route has not been discussed because the request could not be considered due to other reasons. At the same time, other places in downtown Moscow where authorized anti-Putin protests have previously been held, have already been booked by others, Maiorov said.

"It could be either spoilers, or other activists," Udaltsov said. "However, we know nothing about them."

Keywords: Russia, Protests, Politics - Russian News - Russia - Johnson's Russia List

Opposition figure Sergei Udaltsov warned Moscow officials on Wednesday over possible "spontaneous" events if an anti-Kremlin demonstration is not permitted.

file photoA new application to hold a march and a rally on Sept. 15, filed by activists after Tuesday's failed attempt to get permission for a 50,000-strong protest, proved unsuccessful, Interfax reported.

"If there is another refusal, we will have a vote on the Internet to ask whether the event should be held and where," Udaltsov told the news agency. "And we tell City Hall that they should not allow the situation to get to the point where people go to the streets spontaneously."

Wrong person

The reason given for scrapping the protesters' application was that one of the rally organizers had committed two administrative offenses during the year, and by the rules adopted earlier in 2012, could not organize mass events.

Administrative charges have become common for members of the recent dissident movement since it grew more violent after President Vladimir Putin's third victory in this year's presidential vote.

Sergei Davidis, who has been barred from organizing rallies, according to police, claimed he had only received one administrative charge this year.

"Before submitting the request, I checked everything with databases run by the police and the courts," he told Interfax.

The organizers, however, decided not to get involved in disputes with the authorities, but replace the member of the liberal Solidarnost movement with another activist, Denis Bilunov, Udaltsov said.

No route changes

The still-unauthorized event was named a new March of Millions, after another anti-Kremlin demonstration held one night prior to Putin's inauguration.

Over 400 people were detained after the peaceful demonstration ended with clashes with police, which the opposition believes to have been orchestrated by the Kremlin. A criminal case was later opened against 16 people after investigators described it as "mass unrest."

The proposed route for the new march was to take protesters from Ploshchad Tverskoi Zastavy, down Tverskaya Ulitsa to the Kremlin, where a rally had been planned. The location has not been changed in the request filed on Wednesday, Udaltsov said.

Head of Moscow's security department, Alexei Maiorov, told Interfax that this route has not been discussed because the request could not be considered due to other reasons. At the same time, other places in downtown Moscow where authorized anti-Putin protests have previously been held, have already been booked by others, Maiorov said.

"It could be either spoilers, or other activists," Udaltsov said. "However, we know nothing about them."