130,000 rally for Putin presidential bid

MOSCOW, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told tens of thousands of people at a rally Thursday supporting his presidential bid "the battle for Russia is raging on."

Police estimated about 130,000 people turned out at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium for the rally, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

"The battle for Russia is raging on. We'll be victorious," Putin said.

He predicted he would win and said after his election, "We need to overcome a multitude of problems such as injustice, rudeness of officials, poverty and inequality."

Polls show Putin, Russia's president from 2000-2008, leads by a wide margin in his bid to return to the presidency in March 4 elections.

The rally was the latest attended by tens of thousands of Putin backers.

Opposition demonstrations began in December after the narrow victory of Putin's United Russia party in parliamentary elections Dec. 4. Putin's opponents claimed widespread cheating.

At Thursday's pro-Putin rally, preceded by a march through central Moscow, some participants held Russian flags and placards with slogan such as "We won't let them ruin the country!" "Who, if not Putin?" "Vote stability -- Vote Putin."

The rally came on a public holiday in Russia, Defender of the Fatherland Day.