Putin Warns Opposition Ahead of Election

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned Russian opposition parties against holding unauthorised protests after this weekend's presidential election.

In anticipation of a fraudulent vote, opposition groups have made plans for rallies after the outcome is announced and Putin said that it was "unacceptable" to anticipate the vote's results.

"We will respect any viewpoint, but are calling on everyone to act within the framework of law and use only legitimate means," he said.

Putin spoke after WikiLeaks released the details of email from Stratfor intelligence company that the current Russian prime minister made a deal with President Dmitry Medvedev to dump the former Ukrainian premier Yulia Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office in a trial the West has condemned as politically motivated.

Last week, tens of thousands of pro-Putin supporters marched through the streets of Moscow and then swelled a stadium to hear him speak.

"We are the defenders of the fatherland!" Putin told a crowd of an estimated 130,000 supporters, according to the state news agency Ria Novosti.

The rally came after pro-Kremlin youth groups pledged that they will take to the streets on 4 March to intimidate opponents as Russians go to the polls.

The pro-Kremlin youth movements Nashi and Stal said they plan to put 20,000 activists on the streets of the capital to "monitor the situation and prevent possible provocations" by opposition groups, adding that they will be on the lookout for "foreign sponsors".

In December, Kremlin supporters marched against unsanctioned opposition rallies against alleged vote-rigging in the parliamentary elections.