On Monday, May 7, an inauguration ceremony was held in the Kremlin State Palace, against a background of a battle between protesters and police, as well as mass arrests.

      Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russian President for six-year term, in presence of 2,000 guests. “I swear on the power invested in me as president of the Russian Federation to respect and protect the rights and freedom of its citizens,” Putin said, his right hand placed on a red-bound copy of the Russian Constitution, for the third time in his life.

      After a short speech, Putin left the Kremlin State Palace, greeted by a 31-gun salute, to receive a nuclear briefcase in a closed space, and then reviewed the Kremlin Regiment. The ceremony ended with the bells from Ivan the Great bell tower.

      The whole ceremony took place against a background of several protest actions. Over 400 people were arrested and scores injured during Sunday's "March of Millions" against Putin’s rule, when protesters briefly broke through police lines in a bid to take their action to the Kremlin walls.

      That incident was followed by several spontaneous rallies, flashmobes and sit-in strikes on Moscow's different streets and squares.

      Monday, the day of inauguration, was marked by 200 more arrests, police's inspections of the city's popular bars, dispersal of street campsites and an enourmous closing of the streets in the center of Moscow around the president's route to the Kremlin.

      So, as it could be seen on TV-broadcast, Putin’s motorcade had sped through empty streets, while the whole opposition activity was hidden from the forefront.

      Vladimir Putin was forced to step down as a President in 2008 by a Constitution that forbids more than two subsequent terms. He served as the Russian Premier Minister for four years and then won a victory in the presidential elections on March 4, accompanied by allegations of vote fraud.

Sources: Gazeta.ru RIA Novosti Image: rg.ru