Pro-Kremlin activists use condoms to smear opposition

MOSCOW, Russia - Pro-Kremlin activists are distributing condoms on the streets of Moscow with the images of opposition leaders whom they blame for the collapse of the Russian currency.

The LifeNews TV channel late Thursday showed activists handing out condoms with pictures of Alexei Navalny, tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and others on the packets.

LifeNews quoted one activist as saying that the opposition leaders have been fueling the panic about the collapsing ruble, which lost half of its value this year.

Alexei Navalny is awaiting the Jan. 15 verdict in his trial, where prosecutors are demanding a 10-year prison sentence. His supporters are gearing up for a protest on the day of the verdict, which Russian authorities dismissed as illegal.

Navalny has been the focus of Kremlin-instigated smear campaigns before.