Vladimir Putin, on the back of criticism of Russian police's response to protests in Moscow, says law enforcement is even tougher in the West. Is he right?
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Moscow has seen weekly protests over the banning of opposition candidates in upcoming city council elections.
There have been three consecutive weekends of demonstrations and a fourth is planned for Saturday, August 10.
Although the upcoming rally is authorised by the authorities and is unlikely to cause any trouble, previous protests saw violent clashes with the police forces.
Around 2,000 people have been detained.
Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin praised police for their "good work" claiming the protesters planned to assault the city administration.
Opposition leaders accused security forces of abusing their power in dispersing what they said was a "peaceful protest".
EU and the UN have both condemned police brutality calling for the Russian authorities to ensure the right for peaceful protests.
In the past, President Vladimir Putin has defended Russia's security forces saying that police in the West are even tougher.
We spoke our European colleagues at Euronews to see if this was true. You can watch their responses in the video, above.