Of late the Kremlin has shown an untypically lackadaisical attitude towards public marches, which, in months past, would have been swept away with draconian efficiency within a matter of moments by armed police officers.  It was noted that on December 30 a rally for Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov attended by hundreds came to pass peacefully, despite having no sanction.  It seems that perhaps while the authorities attempt to rethink their strategy in view of the critical mass, clemency towards public rallies has been a temporary concession.  Just in from the Wall Street Journal however is evidence that suppression by stealth may be the new tactic:

The Kremlin is tightening control over permits for rallies next to its walls, as the opposition plans a campaign of antigovernment protests around the March presidential elections.