In sharp contrast to the authorities' often heavy-handed reaction to unsanctioned protests, Putin reacted coolly and said: "Thank you, thank you."

"Let them be, they came here to express themselves," he instructed security guards.

At the end of the speech, which took place during a meeting of non-governmental organisations ahead of next' week's G8 summit, the protesters even applauded after Putin said that efforts should be made to find an alternative to nuclear energy.

"It's very good that the president had such a positive reaction... It was a good sober reaction of a person who believes that environmentalists have a right to speak their mind," said Vladimir Slivyak, a leader of EcoDefense, commenting after the protest on Tuesday.

But "here there was the president and there were TV cameras and journalists and this gives a certain protection," Slivyak said.

In future street protests "there'll be no president, just evil police officers."

At an anti-nuclear demonstration near the Kremlin by the environmental group Greenpeace in April, a dozen campaigners and several reporters were detained by security officers.

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