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Alexander Zemlianichenko / Pool via AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Dmitry Medvedev, right, stand as an honor guard march during an inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral Square in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Monday.
Updated at 5:45 a.m. ET: MOSCOW -- Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia's president at a glittering ceremony on Monday, hours after clashes between police and thousands of protesters in the country's capital laid bare the deep divisions over his return to the Kremlin for six more years.
In the latest demonstrations on Sunday, police detained more than 400 people, including three opposition leaders, after tensions boiled over at a rally attended by about 20,000 people across the Moscow river from the Kremlin.
Police hit protesters on the head with batons as they tried to stop demonstrators advancing towards them, carrying metal crowd barriers and throwing objects. The crowd fought back with flagpoles before the police eventually restored order.
"Putin has shown his true face, how he 'loves' his people -- with police force," said Dmitry Gorbunov, 35, a computer analyst who took part in the protest.
NYT: Russia's Medvedev reveals 'very bad moods'
Months of protests have polarized Russia and left Putin facing a battle to reassert himself or risk being sidelined by the powerful business and political elites whose backing is vital.
Riot police clash with thousands of opposition activists in Moscow as Vladimir Putin returns to power as Russia's president. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
Lavish reception
Putin, a former KGB spy, took his oath before nearly 2,000 guests in the Kremlin's St Andrew Hall, the former throne room with sparkling chandeliers, gilded pillars and high Gothic vaults, before being blessed by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and taking charge of the nuclear suitcase.
"We will achieve our goals if we are a single, united people, if we hold our fatherland dear, strengthen Russian democracy, constitutional rights and freedoms," Putin said in a five-minute speech after taking the oath. "I will do all I can to justify the faith of millions of our citizens. I consider it to be the meaning of my whole life and my obligation to serve my fatherland and our people."
He was also due to host a lavish reception featuring only Russian food and drink.
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Although he has remained Russia's supreme leader for the past four years as prime minister, Putin will take back the formal reins of power he ceded to his ally Dmitry Medvedev in 2008 after eight years as president.
On Sunday, several thousand people staged a rally supporting Putin, seen by his backers as the only leader capable of defending Russia's interests on the world stage and the guardian of the economy at home.
While Putin's critics have tired of a political system that concentrates power in one man, many of his supporters welcome his domination of the country of more than 140 million.
Andrey Smirnov / AFP -Getty Images
Russian Police officers detain opposition supporters during a rally in Moscow on May 6, 2012. Russian riot police violently clashed with protesters at a rally on the eve of strongman Vladimir Putin's return for a third Kremlin term, arresting over 250 people including opposition leaders.
"Democracy is the power of the majority. Russia is everything, the rest is nothing!" Alexander Dugin, a Kremlin-aligned nationalist, told the pro-Putin crowd.
Rifts
The rival rallies Sunday underlined the rifts opened by Putin's return to the Kremlin and protests that were sparked by allegations of electoral fraud but fuelled by many Russians' frustration that one man continues to dominate the country.
The BBC reported that prominent opposition figures Alexei Navalny, Sergei Udaltsov and Boris Nemtsov were among the people detained Sunday.
From the archives: Anti-Putin activists pay high price, but refuse to back down
Although the protests had lost momentum before Sunday's rally, they have given birth to a civil society, two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, that is gradually chipping away at Putin's authority.
Putin, who will be 60 in October, grew up in Soviet days and worked as a spy in communist East Germany, is under pressure to show he can adapt to the new political landscape. Few think he has changed much -- if at all.
Russia threatens preemptive strike over planned US missile shield
Putin has eased up on the choreographed macho antics that burnished his image at his peak in Russia, such as riding horseback bare-chested and shooting a tiger with a tranquiliser gun.
Harder to shake off will be his habit of seeking total control and learning to cope with political opponents and a middle class demanding more political freedom.
US ambassador vents on Twitter about Russian media
He has to quell rivalries between liberals and conservatives battling for positions in the new cabinet under Medvedev, who is swapping jobs with Putin. The outcome of the struggle could help determine how far reforms go to improve the investment climate.
Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP/Getty Images
Russians march along a street during an opposition protest rally in Moscow on Sunday. Russian riot police violently clashed with protesters on the eve of Vladimir Putin's return for a third Kremlin term.
The $1.9 trillion economy is in better shape than in most European countries but is vulnerable to any change in the price of oil, Russia's main export commodity. The budget is under pressure from Putin's lavish election spending promises.
Putin has said he wants to attract more foreign investment by improving the business climate, reduce corruption and red tape, and end Russia's heavy dependence on energy exports. He has not spelled out how he will do this.
Putin is likely, as in the past, to use tough anti-Western rhetoric on foreign policy to drum up support if times get tough in Russia. But he has never yielded his strong influence over foreign policy as premier, so a major policy shift is unlikely.
Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
"SOUNDS LIKE OUR CONGRESS" A bunch of RICH RADICALS called COMMUNIST CAPITALIST !!!
I get the impression that the US needs to re-address their textbooks and start telling the truth instead of putting PROPAGANDA in their textbooks against the real understanding of other PARTIES. Is it not part of FREEDOM and EXPRESS ????. Or Part of the COMMUNIST CAPITALIST!!
boy i bet obama is happy. now he can make his backroom deals to get rid of our nukes.
As Obama told Mendelev. Please be patient and wait until Novemeber when he can really make some good deals with Russia.
Pirorities, priorities. Which to choose? Getting votes or national defense. Sigh!
Let's be realistic for once!
Jews continue to control this albatross of a nation and are still enjoying their expensive Odessa weekend getaways in Ukraine. Putin might be the only chance of survival for the have-not Slavs who are second-rate citizens in their own land! 100 years and how the tables have turned!
Anti-Semitic enough?
In my mind's eye, it is terrible if the election was rigged, but really will much change in Russia? Putin has been there the whole time, in one position or another..I see no difference between Putin and many other leaders of the world. Just unfortunate.
Worry about whats going on here Jeff; You need photo Id to get on a plane;buy cigerettes and beer; rent a car/boat/jetski/hell you even need a photo Id to get into Disneyworld but this administations AG wants to ban the need for photo IDin states that want to enforce it to vote in a national election !! WHAT ????????????? and your worried about Russia; worry about here. The dark-side we are moving to.
Also Vinny, ironically enough you need a photo ID to enter the Justice Department in D.C. to meet with Mr. Holder.
Vinny, when we have rampant voter fraud in this country, then worry about photo IDs to vote. None of the things you listed to have an ID are Constitutional rights.
Don't know what the big deal is? Putin never left power, he conveniently slipped into the slot of "Prime Minister" when he left the presidency last time. He was the one calling the shots not Medvedev. At the multi-nation conference in Moscow last year everyone had to wait till Putin came from across the city to join them. That spoke volumes of how powerful he was. I'm sure the men that died aboard the Kursk while Putin water skied on the Black Sea appreciated his power. Viva protestors!!
Hey! Check out the Occupy Moscow! Russia has idiots and unemployed hippies too!
And Putin is the Russian Chuck Norris.
No, Putin is a thug. He is not Chuck Norris.
Hey why did you vote for Putin?? " Because he's gonna put gas in my car and pay my mortgage and give me food credits." Well how's he gonna do that wheres he getting the money? " I dont know its Putin Money; he's just got and he's gonna give me some"
I wish the media would give us more straight up news about whats going on here instead of Russia;maybe they would be suprised and their ratings might go up .
i sure hope obama can doa better job with Putin that Bush did. - what is it bush said about putin; - somthing about he could tell he was a good guy when he looked into his eyes or somthing like that.
hmmm......
Good luck with that .....Putin has already gone on record and called Obama idiot .
...and then bush put missile defense in eastern europe....screwing putin.
now we have obama making secret deals with putin, thats high treason in my book...but whatever, right ?
Bush did say that while he originally felt he had a good relationship with Putin, as his presidency continued he found plenty of reasons to come to doubt Mr. Putin's intentions.
Making deals with Putin is "High treason?" Are we at war with Russia?
Seems Putin is the same as Obama, Drunk with power.
hey Putin if this HS GED citizen of the USA was in office there would be a missile defense sheild up in Poland ; your lucky I didnt go to Harvard.
Obama had his chance to crack down on the teapartybaggers like this but did not.
Now he is paying the price with a republican House.
I'll bet that he will not let that happen again !!
yeah, we all know obama wants to get rid of everyone that questions him....this is no secret.
...but i do think obama should be investigated for making backroom deals with putin. and charged if found guilty.
Charged with what exactly?
Russian is still firmly under the control of the KGB.
I was working on the elections in Saint-Petersburg. No fraud, no cheatings, on my polling station Putin recieved about 51-52 percent.
Elections were absolutely fair.
The point is - there is NO alternative. People prefer Putin
Cool..., and I would like to thank the people of Russia for the nice 7.62x39 Saiga that I bought as my son and I love it!!!.
obama may just as well do the same as he tries to cling to the presidency. Nov. can't come soon enough.....RON PAUL 2012 for real change!!!
This same scene will play out here in the U.S. come November if Obummer gets back in the White House.............
If Obama is elected, Putin is going to be sworn in? Or, are you saying Obama will be sworn-in? Wouldn't the same scene play out, no matter who is elected here?
i like the idea that putin wants to open its market to foreigne business. i think russia has alot to offer to the world. russia is a beauty place to visit as cuba is and its about time to do away with this communist idea in russia and everry where else. i think his ideas will help socialies the country. socialies meaning acepting dances, singing, spending time outdoors, gambling, instead of this spy thing that russia is known for. yes we all know that he was a kgb agent, but thats in the past, this is the future for russia. i think he should concentrate on investing with the usa and allow the us way of life, which is social life.
This is what obamy wants to do. If he can get re-elected he will put 2 more cronies on the supreme court and have the ability to stay in office as long as he breaths. Screw the American people, that is his wish, like his book says, his fathers dream, and that is to bring America down.
Don't be suprised if Obama does not try the same thing. An election by the people, who needs that. I know what is best for America.
Gee I am so happy for the French people, can't wait until the good ole USA has the same thing.
VOTE 2012 Romney
This dude reminds me of Nero. Thug.
So, Rush Limbaugh was arrested at this protest?
He probably just wandered there in a drug induced haze..
You need to stop sitting on your butt all day smoking dope and get in some daily exercise as obesity is bad for your health. Also, try thinking outside of your little democrat box.
Thanks for looking out for my health Loser... PS... Guns need to be banned and taken away for our own safety..
Guns need to be banned and taken away for our own safety How about we have a one strike and you're dead policy with violent offenders. America would be a safer place. It is the failures of the justice system that created an insecure society.
Oh how lucky we are,,,, Back in the U.S.S.R.
Putin is not a President. He is first and foremost a spy who can twist and plant ideas in the minds of the Russians to believe him.
Putin is trying to establish his own Oligaricharial rule over Russia where the proceedings of him being "elected" as the president is just a formality to cover up the hidden strong armimg going on so that Putin can remain in power.
If Russia does not remove Putin in a few years when it does come time for Putin to leave Russia may suffer its largest and most devastating economic collapse ever seen.
as for the police brutality, even here in the united states it occurs because they forget the very foundation of the constitution which is the right to protest and asemble any where. Those police officers should be reprimanded and put in jail for police brutality. as well as the police brutality that occured in may in new york and okland, berkley, ca. Yes he should listen to the people of Russia and work for the people of russia to give them a better place to life and socialies.
This what America will look like after buckwheat uses voter fraud to be re elected.
The man is pure evil.
I think a second Russian revolution in 2017 would mark the centennial of the first one. 100 is a nice, round number.