New Delhi, Delhi, India

A day after Russian lawmakers approved a hugely controversial plan to hike the pension age. Russian President Vladimir Putin came out to address the ongoing protests and said he himself disliked the move but insisted that action must be taken.

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Putin said on television, "I don't like any (proposals) linked to raising the pension age," adding that doing nothing was not an option since the ageing population would eventually cause the pension system to collapse and insisted that "all the same we need to take some decisions".

The comments came as the first reaction from Putin amid outbursts of public anger at Putin in Russia.

Russia's lower house of parliament on Thursday gave initial backing to draft legislation gradually raising the pension age to 63 for women and 65 for men.

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A legacy of the USSR, Russia's retirement age -- set at 55 for women and 60 for men since Stalin -- is currently among the lowest in the world.

The proposals backed by the government of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev were made public after Putin won a fourth Kremlin term in March and have provoked a rare outburst of public anger.

According to a report by AFP, more than 2.8 million people have signed an online petition against the reforms. According to the independent Levada pollster, 89 per cent of Russians oppose the measure. 

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Analysts say that growing popular discontent over the change amid plunging living standards may present the most serious challenge to Putin during his nearly 20 years in power.

(With inputs from news agencies)