- Vladimir Putin has dominated Russian politics for a decade
- He won controversial presidential elections in March amid allegations of fraud
- Protests chanted "Russia without Putin" in Moscow on Sunday
- About 250 were arrested, including opposition leaders and a popular blogger
Moscow (CNN) -- Vladimir Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for more than a decade, returns to the presidency Monday after winning a controversial election in March.
The inauguration comes a day after hundreds of people, including opposition leaders and a popular blogger, were arrested in anti-Putin protests.
As they marched, many chanted slogans such as "Russia without Putin" and "Putin is a thief."
Putin won the March presidential election with nearly 65% of the vote, claiming victory despite accusations from independent monitors that there had been widespread electoral violations.
International observers said there was legitimate uncertainty about the vote, and chess champion-turned opposition activist Garry Kasparov accused Putin's supporters of "massive fraud."
Protesters clash with police in Moscow 
Putin's next inauguration sparks protests Putin, the former KGB officer who has worked to stabilize Russia's economy and curtail dissent, held the presidency for eight years before term limits forced him to step down in 2008. He then became prime minister under his chosen successor Dmitry Medvedev, who announced he would not run for a second tern,
Putin's election followed a series of unprecedented anti-Kremlin protests in the wake of disputed parliamentary elections in December.
Sunday's protest turned violent when a large number of demonstrators veered off the agreed route of the march, and some protesters fought with police.
Clashes broke out, with some protesters throwing various objects -- including sticks and at least one flare -- at police.
Authorities responded by "clubbing demonstrators" who briefly broke through police lines, the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported.
One of its correspondents saw "a male protester out cold after clashing with officers," while another reported eight officers arresting one demonstrator "for the apparent crime of wearing a Guy Fawkes mask," the symbol of the vigilante hacking group Anonymous.
More than 250 people were arrested, including leading opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, leftist radical group leader Sergei Udaltsov and popular blogger Alexei Navalny, Moscow police told CNN.
Twenty officers were injured and three hospitalized in the clashes, according to RIA-Novosti.
