Russian Officers Detain 400 In Protests The Eve Before Putin’s Inauguration

At least 400 people were arrested on Sunday, the eve of Vladimir Putin‘s inauguration as President of Russia.

Over 20,000 protesters were present for the incident, which started peacefully, but turned violent when a group broke off from the main crowd and attempted to cross a police barricade toward the Kremlin.

Included in those arrested were three of the Left Party opposition leaders, Sergei Udaltsov, Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov, who were speaking at the event. One of the leaders was arrested before he even took the stage to speak.

The group that broke off of the main crowd confronted police at the barricade. Officers immediately came to further build up the barricade.

When protesters refused to back down and instead formed a human chain, chanting “This is our city” and “Putin is a thief,” police pushed them back toward the square the protest started at, forcibly detaining some.

The officers wielded clubs, and wore helmets, dragging some protesters by the hair or neck towards squad cars. Several of the protesters were injured in the melee, and a spokesman stated that at least 12 riot officers were also injured.

There have been several protests in the former Soviet Union since the feud-plagued parliamentary elections were held in December, although crowds at those protests, numbering as big as 100,000, kept to agreed-upon meeting-places and routes, and even thanked police officers who stood guard.

Many believe that Sunday’s incident reflected a sense of anger that the Russian people feel over the fact that Putin was handily elected in March to a new term in the Kremlin, despite the protests. Putin will be sworn in for a third six-year term on Monday.

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