The action against the sit-in was the latest step in a government crackdown on protests over Putin's return to the presidency on May 7 for a six-year term following four years as prime minister.
Police converged on the site at Chistiye Prudy park early on Wednesday and told some 50 people who had spent the night there to leave, citing a court order issued on Tuesday requiring them to clear the area.
Police clashed with demonstrators beating some on the head with batons in the worst violence since a wave of protests prompted by suspicions of fraud in a December parliamentary vote.
At least 15 protesters had been detained after the swoop, the Reuters news agency reported.
"People were ready to gather their stuff and move, but they did not give us time, they just started pushing people out," Alisa Obraztsova, a protester in her 20s, said.
Protesters said that police had told them they must leave by noon (08:00 GMT) on Wednesday, but Obraztsova said the police who cleared the park said it had to be cleaned by noon.
'Violations of civil order'
The small park was left strewn with cardboard boxes, sleeping mats, plastic chairs and other belongings. Workers in orange coats were preparing to clean the site. Continue Reading
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