Organisers said more than 3,000 motorists took part, while police put the number at about 300 . White ribbons have become a sign of Russia's protest movement . Aim was to build support for the protest movement as well as to advertise protest marches . planned for next week . By . Jill Reilly . Last updated at 3:46 PM on 30th January 2012 . Cars  flying white ribbons and balloons jammed the streets of central Moscow yesterday in a show of protest against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The white ribbons have become a sign of Russia's protest movement, but the success of the demonstration is in dispute - organisers say more than 3,000 motorists took part but police put the figure at around 300. In . the minus 15C (5F) chill, many pedestrians applauded or waved white . handkerchiefs from the pavement in solidarity as cars with white ribbons and balloons tied to their antennas, sideview mirrors and door handles drove past. Solidarity: Hundreds of cars flying white ribbons or white balloons drove around Moscow's Garden Ring in a show of support for a protest movement against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin . Organisers said the demonstration also aimed to advertise protest marches planned for next Saturday, exactly one month before the March 4 presidential election . Solidarity: Some drivers resorted to white construction tape, printer paper, grocery bags and even white lace as they cruised around Moscow's Garden Ring road . Driving forward a change: The sign in this protestor's car states 'Russia without Putin!' Organisers said more than 3,000 motorists took part, while police put the number at about 300 . Showing their support: In . the minus 15C (5F) chill, many pedestrians applauded or waved white . handkerchiefs from the sidewalks - the white ribbons have become a sign of Russia's protest movement . The rally was aimed at helping to build support for the protest movement as well as to advertise protest marches planned for next Saturday, exactly one month before the March 4 presidential election. "This has an important symbolic meaning. We have arrived at the stage when we don't want to be vassals any more," said opposition activist Ilya Ponomaryov, who picked up hitchhikers with white ribbons in his purple sedan. 'We want to show our unity. This is very visible. This is preparatory work for February 4, when there will be even more people than on Sakharov Avenue,' Ponomaryov said, referring to the site of a December 24 rally that drew tens of thousands. Polls indicate Putin will regain the presidency, extending his rule for at least six more years, although he is under pressure to show he can ensure a fair win. He was president from 2000-2008 and is widely believed to have been holding Russia's reins for his protege, President Dmitry Medvedev. 'This has an important symbolic meaning. We have arrived at the stage when we don't want to be vassals any more," said opposition activist Ilya Ponomaryov . Strong image: A man decorates his car with the effigy of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin before taking part in the rally . Opposing view: Vladimir Putin's supporters rally in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, with a poster reading 'Your vote is important!' Strong opposition: The protests, provoked by widespread suspicions of fraud favouring Putin's ruling party in a December parliamentary election, have revealed dismay among Russians . Some . drivers resorted to white construction tape, printer paper, grocery bags . and even white lace as they cruised around Moscow's Garden Ring road. One vehicle had a . life-sized straw figure with a picture of Putin's face strapped to its . hood. Cars are a strong symbol not only of status but of personal freedom in Russia and the right to choice in a country where even ownership of a tiny Soviet-made Lada was a luxury in the communist era and foreign cars were virtually non-existent. The protests, provoked by widespread suspicions of fraud favouring Putin's ruling party in a December 4 parliamentary election, have revealed dismay among Russians. Middle-class city dwellers in particular feel they have no say in politics and that Putin's decision to return to the Kremlin was thrust upon them. 'We have to fight for our rights... We have to show our strength so that maybe people will see us and come to the February 4 protest,' said Nadezhda, 26, who works for a state TV station. Nadezhda, who declined to give her last name, said her station had told employees not to take part in Sunday's protest. 'I feel cheated by the vote,' Yevgeny Starshov, 23, a student at a state school of public administration, said of the parliamentary election. 'We have to do something to change the country for the better, not through riots or some kind of revolution but through such peaceful demonstrations to fight for more fair elections." Thousands of Putin's supporters rallied on Saturday in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, to back his election bid.
Organisers said more than 3,000 motorists took part, while police put the number at about 300 . White ribbons have become a sign of Russia's protest movement . Aim was to build support for the protest movement as well as to advertise protest marches . planned for next week .