The day before Vladimir Putin's third inauguration as Russia's president, demonstrations turn violent with 20,000 antigovernment demonstrators battling police near the Kremlin. The fighting includes smoke bombs, bottles, and sticks. (May 7): While Putin officially takes office, the protests continue and police arrest 120 people. The violence is a dramatic shift because even though antigovernment protests have been going on for months, the demonstrations had been peaceful until now. Dressed in riot gear, police search cafes and restaurants for protesters. The demonstrators taken into police custody are sent to military draft offices.