Three Russian opposition parties, including those seen to be pro-Kremlin, staged an unprecedented walkout of Wednesday's session of the lower house of parliament to protest fraud in local elections.

A total of 135 deputies in the 450-seat Duma were part of the protest, including the Communists, the far-right wing Liberal Democratic Party and the Just Russia party.

Russia's beleaguered opposition alleged widespread fraud as the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's dominant United Russia party tightened its grip on politics with a sweeping victory in the weekend's local elections.