Protesters against Putin set upon by police | WPN World People News

Demonstrators clashed with Russian riot police on Sunday over the impending inauguration of Vladimir Putin as president.

The protest, on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration for a third presidential term, involved around 20,000 people.

Fights broke out early in the demonstration close to a bridge across the Moscow river to the Kremlin.

Riot police belted into the crowd with batons, dragging away many people.

Officials later said that police had detained some of the key leaders in the demonstrations against Putin.

Vladimir Putin had been Russia's prime minister until winning the country's presidential election in March by a landslide.

He has already been a two-term president.

Opposition parties have disputed the honesty of Putin's victory, saying it had been manipulated in the polls.

Source: Russia News.Net