Thousands gathered in the streets of Moscow both in support of and against Russia's military intervention in Crimea. Photo by RIA Novosti

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Russia’s capital Moscow to attend rallies both in support of and against the referendum in Crimea.

The Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported 15,000 people marched in support of Crimea’s secession, while the counter-rally had numbered around 3,000.

Meanwhile, the BBC claims that “up to 50,000 people attended the rally in Moscow to oppose the government’s intervention in Crimea”.

There is no information about clashes between the opposing rallies, however RIA Novosti reports of several people detained in the anti-intervention march.

Ukraine’s autonomous region of Crimea will hold a referendum on Sunday to decide whether it will join the Russian Federation. The results will be recognized by Moscow, but not by the West.