Hundreds of people took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of utilities.

Demonstrators, most of them supporters of the Communist Party and activist of leftist groups, demanded that charges for water, heat and electricity be frozen.

The utility charges have been increasing steadily over the past decade.

The rally, near Red Square and the Kremlin, comes just a week after a mass protest against President Vladimir Putin, which also called for the rates to be lowered.

Similar demonstrations were held in other cities across the country.

Protesters in Moscow also called for fresh parliamentary elections, opposition figurehead Sergei Udaltsov wrote on his Twitter account.

The opposition says last year's elections in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, were rigged.

The authorities deny the allegations.