Moscow anti-Putin protests
Opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov is detained during anti-Putin protests in Moscow Reuters

Thousands of protestors were arrested after skirmishes broke out during a demonstration on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration as the President of Russia.

The rally turned violent as scores of protestors tried to march into Kremlin, and the police arrested more than 400 people, reported the Associated Press.

Police officers clashed with demonstrators, forcefully hauling some of the protestors by their hair and necks and throwing them into police vans. Both the police and demonstrators were reportedly injured. Three of the opposition leaders, Alexei Navalny, Boris Nemtsov and Sergei Udaltsov, were among those detained during the protest.

Putin will take oath as the President of Russia for a third term in a lavish ceremony in Kremlin's St Andrew Hall on Monday. He will take the office from Dmitry Medvedev for a six-year term.

Putin won the March 4 elections with 63 percent votes. Although there was widespread criticism from the opponents about the fraudulent methods used during the elections, Putin has ignored it. His March win has dealt a forceful blow to the confidence of the Russian people.

"Putin has shown his true face, how he 'loves' his people - with police force," Reuters quoted Dmitry Gorbunov, a middle class protestor as saying.

Many of the protestors believe that Putin is trying to extend his authority over Russia once again after a four-year gap.

"I trusted Putin as long as he ruled within the bounds of the constitution but our law limits the presidency to two consecutive terms. He and his clown Medvedev spat on that," said another protestor Andrey Asianov, as quoted by Reuters.

Meanwhile, the fugitive Boris Berezovsky has announced a $17 million (£10.5 million) reward to anyone who disrupts Putin's ceremony on Monday. The sum has increased ten times since his previous offer.

"Demonstrators could detain Putin and take him into custody during their actions planned for May 6-7," Russia Today reported Berezovsky as saying.

"As I cannot take part in capturing Putin personally, I have decided to contribute to the cause: I set a reward of 50 million rubles for detaining the dangerous criminal Vladimir Putin and taking him to custody," Berezovsky added.

Earlier Putin tweaked the Russian constitution in his favour, which did not allow anyone to a third term as a president.

"The inauguration of the president must feel traditional and not change every time there is a new head of state. Traditions must be created and preserved," AFP reported Vladimir Kozhin, head of Kremlin's management department as saying.

Here's the video of the violent clashes that took place in Moscow on the eve of Putin's swearing-in ceremony as the President of Russia.

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