Thousands protested on Sunday across Russia against government plans to raise the national pension age, after heeding the call to demonstrate from Russia’s Communist Party and other left-wing organisations. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday softened his stance on the reforms in a bid to quell protests, saying the retirement age for women would only rise from 55 to 60 instead of 63, as initially planned, while for men, the age would increase from 60 to 65, Efe news reported.