One of the first to be detained was Lyubov Sobol, a rejected candidate herself and an ally of opposition figure Aleksey Navalny. The lawyer turned anti-corruption activist had been warned by city authorities against calls for more unsanctioned rallies after she dodged arrest following last Saturday's gathering which ended up in clashes and mass detentions. Last week, she got away with a fine as a mother of an underage kid.

The rejected candidates have been accused of voter fraud, allegedly "farming" the hundreds of signatures they needed to break through the eligibility barrier. They are appealing the decision, while using protests as a pressure campaign.

Instead of gathering in one place, activists on Saturday chose to walk through Moscow's iconic 9km-long string of boulevards and squares around the capital's historical center. Several hundred showed up initially, with rainy weather and the outcome of the July 27 rally – which saw more than a thousand people detained – probably discouraging others.