Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has dismissed concerns over the protests urging him to step down from the post.

"Protests? What protests?," I am not concerned. I think about the people - the ordinary people of Russia. Of course I see the protest groups and I think about what I can do with all of our citizens," Sky.com quoted Putin, as saying during his campaign trial in Tomsk, ahead of the presidential elections.

Putin also visited a university in Tomsk to address a gathering of 100 students and vowed to solve individual housing and health issues.

None of the students asked him about the recent mass protests or his declining popularity, but Putin countered opposition claims of authoritarianism.

"Our country is open. We are not a dictatorship and hopefully never will be again. We have an open and free economy, open country as a whole," he said.

Putin's team said it was a low-key visit indicating that Putin has realized that his macho antics would not go down well with the potential voters in the prevailing situation, the report said. (ANI)