Russian left-wing organizations marked the 82nd anniversary of the October Revolution on November 7 by demonstrations and rallies in Moscow and other major cities around the country.

A rally in the Lubyanskaya Square was attended by an estimated 7,000 people, including representatives from 26 Russian regions, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov told the rally that "by pooling efforts of all patriotic forces, it is possible to correct the situation and to revive again the ideals of fraternity and justice."

He said the top-priority tasks of Communists are to revive the Slavic brotherhood of states of the former Soviet Union.

According to Russian Interior Ministry estimates, 170,000 people attended Sunday's activities across the country.

Despite a decree by President Boris Yeltsin in 1996 designating November 7 as the Day of Accord and Reconciliation, many Russians continue to mark the day as the anniversary of the October Revolution.

On November 7 and 8, 1917, the Russian Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin seized the Winter Palace in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) and overthrew the provisional government. The revolution was named for the date on which it commenced under the old Julian calendar (October 24).