Russians rally for Putin

Pro-Putin rally draws tens of thousands

al Jazeera

Tens of thousands of people have packed into a football stadium for a campaign rally in support of Vladimir Putin, 10 days ahead of a presidential election in which Russia's prime minister is aiming to return to the country's top job.

Putin, who served two terms as president between 2000 and 2008 before being appointed prime minister during Dmitry Medvedev's presidency, is expected to win the March 4 election.

But he has faced outbursts of public discontent for the first time since his emergence as the country's dominant political figure 12 years ago, with an anti-Putin protest movement drawing tens of thousands to its rallies.