Russian opposition gathers for anniversary of violent protest Thousands of Muscovites gathered on Bolotnaya Square on Monday to mark the anniversary of a similar march a year ago when a mêlée between police and protesters left dozens injured and broke the back of the anti-Kremlin protest movement. Today, 28 people are facing charges or have been sentenced for their part in the riot. At Monday's gathering their names were emblazoned on signs and shouted from the makeshift platform by a succession of opposition speakers ranging from liberals to nationalists, who have formed an uneasy partnership in seeking the ouster of President Vladimir Putin. The May 6 2012 demonstration at Bolotnaya Square proved to be a watershed. Held the day before Mr Putin's inauguration, it marked the start of a year-long crackdown against the opposition, who had taken to the streets in December 2011 to protest against what they said were rigged parliamentary elections in Russia. As it turned out, the violence that day took the momentum out of the protest movement as the demonstrators realised they had a stark choice: to face police batons and long jail terms or to quietly melt away. Moreover, most observers agree that some protesters carried at least some of the blame for last year's events. Camera phone footage shows a column of anarchists started the violent confrontation with police after their access to the square was blocked by a police cordon. Fifteen police officers and dozens of demonstrators were injured. Numbers on Monday were well down from the higher totals achieved in the winter of 2011-12. Police estimated the crowd at 5,000, though photographs of the entire square appeared to show between 10,000 and 25,000 - well down from the mass gatherings of up to 100,000 at the height of the street protest movement. "What happened last year was a rude provocation by riot police who behaved like beasts," shouted Ilya Yashin, an opposition leader, from the stage. "I saw my friends savagely beaten by policemen with truncheons, who received free apartments for their part in this crime," he added, referring to news reports that injured policemen were awarded free flats. No significant violence was reported at Monday's rally, though a group of Orthodox Church activists were ejected, one with a bloody face, after they arrived with flags saying: "Moscow is Not Sodom!" Since his election for a third term as president in March 2012, Mr Putin has tightened controls over public protests. A series of laws have raised penalties for illegal demonstrations, increased control over the internet and sought to discredit civil society organisations that raise funds from abroad. Among the more prominent activists to face charges for last year's violence is Sergei Udaltsov, a prominent opposition leader who is under house arrest with no internet access and facing charges that he helped incite public disorder. Konstantin Lebedev, another activist, was given a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence last month. Alexei Navalny, the prominent blogger and activist, has been accused of involvement in the May 6 demonstration and is facing charges in four other cases, including an embezzlement trial taking place in the city of Kirov. Ilya Konstantinov, father of Daniil Konstantinov, an opposition leader who in March 2012 was arrested and charged with murder - allegedly after he refused to co-operate with police - proclaimed his son's innocence from the platform. "We need to conquer cowardice, fear and betrayal in our hearts," he said. Everyone asks, if not Putin, then who [should run the country]? If Putin leaves, the people will come to power. Petr Alferev, an architect, said the Kremlin's crackdown on Mr Navalny had inspired him and other protesters to come out. "I am Navalny, she is Navalny," he said, gesturing to his neighbour. The crackdown "is against us also." Irina Vedenova, a music teacher, said: "It won't all change today [after the protest]. Putin will still be in the Kremlin. But we have to support the people who are in jail.