In the gilded halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace, its construction a nod to the durability of autocracy, Vladimir Putin was on Monday officially returned to the Russian presidency.
Hand on the constitution, the fourth-term president, who was first elected in 2000, swore allegiance to his people and country, inspected his presidential guard, and then watched as a 30-cannon salute marked the start of a new era.
But for many, Mr Putin’s new term began on Saturday, with the message sent by the uncompromising clampdown of an opposition rally. Organiser Alexei Navalny was one of a record 1,600 people detained in nation-wide protests that day. The arrests were often violent, and sometimes with the support of unofficial vigilante forces.
