Russian police have broken up an opposition protest camp in a central Moscow park, dispersing dozens and taking several people into custody.

The early Wednesday raid brought an abrupt end to the country's first Occupy-style demonstration, which was launched in response to President Vladimir Putin's inauguration last week.

A court on Tuesday ordered police to disperse the demonstrators by midday Wednesday. About 20 protesters, who police said resisted eviction, were arrested.

The protest, called Occupy Abai, got its name from the 19th-century Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbayaev, whose statue stands at the boulevard where the demonstration took place.

Some Russians allege fraud in the election that brought Mr. Putin back to the presidency.

A constitutional amendment has extended the president's time in office to two consecutive six-year terms, meaning Mr. Putin could stay in power until 2024 – an outlook many Russians find unsettling.