Thousands in Moscow march against Putin

Click here to access article and 2:11m video from Al Jazeera. 

Though the president today came out in a "conciliatory tone", saying the demonstrations were signs of a healthy democracy, and that he wanted to engage in dialogue with the nation's many political groups, our correspondent said for the masses gathered in the capital today, Putin's actions belie his words.

On Friday the president signed a law that increased fines for violations of public order at street demonstrations, ignoring warnings from his human rights council that it was unconstitutional. Opponents said the law was an attempt to silence dissent.

Unfortunately, this is more about opposition to a crackdown on dissent than it is about the core issues.