The city authorities have given permission for opposition supporters to march through central Moscow before rallying on Bolotnaya Ploshchad, opposite the Kremlin. The Telegraph reported.

Previous anti-government demonstrations on December 10 and 24 were the largest in recent Russian history, with some estimates putting the turnout at the last demonstration on Christmas Eve as high as 100,000. But organisers may struggle to show that the movement has not lost momentum during the long New Year holidays. Some 27,000 people had signed up on the event's Facebook page this morning, compared to over 40,000 ahead of the last demonstration on December 24 – suggesting enthusiasm for the cause has peaked.

The disparate opposition movement is likely to shift its focus from December's elections to the forthcoming presidential vote on March 4, which Vladimir Putin is expected to win. Opposition candidates including oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, who has set out a program to appeal to middle class demonstrators, have said they will join the march.