Vladimir Putin took office on Monday as Russian president for the third term, a day after heavy clashes between police and thousands of protesters.

Vladimir Putin took office on Monday as Russian president for the third term, a day after heavy clashes between police and thousands of protesters.

In an official ceremony, Putin, president from 2000-2008, took over from outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev after swearing in his oath to protect the rights of Russian citizens and defend the country's integrity.

Placing his hand on a copy of the constitution, Putin hailed a "reborn" Russia and promised a new stage in its development.
He swore to "respect and protect the rights and freedoms of the people" and to defend Russia's security as he officially took over from Medvedev.

"Today, we are entering a new stage of national development. We will have to decide tasks of a new level, a new quality and scale. The coming years will be decisive for Russia's fate for decades to come", he said.

The eve of the ceremony saw the worst clashes yet between police and anti-Putin protestors when a mass opposition demonstration descended into chaos and security forces wielded their batons to arrest hundreds of people.

Police said that 436 people were detained at Sunday's protest, including the anti-Putin leaders Alexei Navalny and Sergei Udaltsov who now face the prospect of spending at least the next two weeks in jail.

The authorities said that 20 police were wounded by stones and glass thrown by the protestors, who in turn accused the authorities of responding with heavy -handed tactics to violently disperse the protest.