But in the Altai region city of Barnaul, the city administration has turned down an application for a silent protest to be attended by far less-threatening figures: Kinder toys, Lego men, and stuffed animals.
Barnaul opposition movement the Decembrists submitted an application to the city administration requesting permission for a rally of the toy figures for Saturday. The rally was to have the slogan "For Honest Elections," the same one that human-attended opposition rallies have used across Russia in recent months to protest alleged falsifications in last year's State Duma elections.
The demonstration application specified the likely participants as 100 Kinder Surprise toys, 100 Lego men, 20 toy soldiers, 15 stuffed animals and 10 toy cars. The opposition group planned to attach signs to the toys with slogans denouncing violations of elections law.
Barnaul's administration denied approval for the rally on the grounds that only Russian citizens could be considered participants in a demonstration.
"Approval could not be granted due to a confusion in the understanding of the law regulating public demonstrations. The organizers of a public event can be Russian citizens," said the official refusal, local head of elections watchdog Golos Sergei Andreyev said, Interfax reported.
"Objects expected to be used must be viewed just like signs and banners, strictly as means of visual propaganda used by participants, but not as the participants themselves," Andreyev cited the official refusal as saying.
Last month activists attempted a similar demonstration, but police told them they had to get approval from the city.
"Now it turns out the authorities are demanding the participation of people in the rally," Andreyev said, Interfax reported.
He added that activists will still hold the rally Saturday if they can think of a lawful way to do so.
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