Protesting into the night in Russia

ROUGH CUT-NO REPORTER NARRATION
STORY: Police detained dozens of opposition supporters in central Moscow on Tuesday as they tried to stage a protest against what they call a rigged election.
Triumphalnaya Square, which has become an oft-used rallying place for the opposition, was surrounded by riot police and interior ministry troops. Opposition supporters were detained and pushed into police buses while pro-Kremlin activists waving Russian flags, beating drums and chanting "Russia, Putin", were not disturbed.
The protest in Triumphalnaya Square brought out hundreds of people -- far less than the estimated 5000 who showed the night before. Monday's (December 5) protest was sanctioned by Russian authorities in advance, yet nearly 300 demonstrators were detained. On Sunday night, a handful of protesters were detained at the square.
In St. Petersburg police dispersed anti-election protests, detaining dozens of opposition members, who came out into the streets of Russia's second city for the third day running to demand an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's 12-year rule.
Police detained about a hundred protesters, according to Russian media.
The protests follow elections that saw the biggest electoral setback for Putin since he rose to power in 1999. Preliminary information from Russia's Central Election Commission said United Russia was set to lose 77 seats in the State Duma and end up with 238, a slim majority in the 450-member lower house.