Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, re-entered the Kremlin on Tuesday, starting a six-year transition to the presidency after destroying his political rivals, starting a destructive conflict in Ukraine, and concentrating all of his influence in his hands.
Putin vowed to protect the Russian Constitution as a group of hand-chosen officials watched the service in the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace.
After taking the oath of office, Putin said,” We are a united and great people who will overcome all obstacles, realize all our plans, and win.”
Putin has transformed Russia from an economic decline to a pariah status that threatens international stability since taking over from Boris Yeltsin in the final moments of 1999. Russia has received heavy sanctions from the West and is turning to various governments like China, Iran, and North Korea for assistance following its 2022 conquest of Ukraine, which has become Europe’s biggest fight since World War II.
Putin’s new word is set to expire in 2030, when he will be deemed lawfully eligible to run again after almost 25 years in office and being the longest-serving Kremlin innovator since Josef Stalin.
In a heavily choreographed functionality, Putin was pictured in his office looking at his papers before walking along the Kremlin’s much hallways, pausing at one place to look at a painting, on the way to his inauguration.
While Putin made the short trip to the Grand Kremlin Palace in his Auras vehicle, his guard of honor waited in the snow and weather for hours in the snow and rain. The temperatures were really above freezing.
Putin criticized the West in his first five years of office by thanking the “heroes” of his conflict in Ukraine.
Russia “does never refuse speech with European states”, he said. Instead, he said,” the decision is ours: do they intend to continue trying to contain Russia, continue the coverage of anger, continuous strain on our country for years, or look for a path to cooperation and peace”.
When he and more than 2,500 other visitors were invited, he received acclaim. They included prominent figures in the Russian government, including American actor Steven Seagal, and artists.
Neither the US, U. K. nor European diplomats attended. The US Embassy said Ambassador Lynne Tracy was out of the land on “prescheduled, individual travel”.
Major EU diplomat Josep Borrell said he told them” the right thing to do is not go this inauguration,” but only a few of his fellow delegations did it because Putin has been the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant, accusing him of personal responsibility for the kidnappings of kids from Ukraine.
According to a European diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were never permitted to speak in public, the French ambassador was one of the people present.
A 30- weapon welcome followed Putin’s remarks. In a lighting rain, he took a tour of the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square to see the national regiment before receiving a gift from Patriarch Kirill, the mind of the Russian Orthodox Church, at Annunciation Cathedral.
During the small company, Kirill compared Putin to Prince Alexander Nevsky, the feudal king who” bravely defended their individuals on the field”.
In a clear guide to the numerous casualties in Ukraine, he reminded Putin that the head of state “has to make terrible and fierce decisions” that can lead to deaths, which the church has supported.
What will the 71-year-old Putin do both domestically and abroad over the course of his further six times as Kremlin head?
As Kyiv struggles with a lack of men and ammunition, Russian troops are gaining ground in Ukraine by employing scorched-earth methods.
Through drone and missile attacks, particularly in border areas, Ukraine has engaged Russian earth in combat. In a statement in February, Putin vowed to serve Moscow’s targets in Ukraine, and do what is needed to “defend our sovereignty and stability of our people”.
Putin made the suggestion that a confrontation between Nato and Russia after his orchestrated reelection in March, and he declared he wanted to create a buffer zone in Ukraine to shield his nation from cross-border attacks.
Putin can now nominate a new prime minister and cabinet because the Russian government has been disbanded.
One key area to watch is the defense ministry.
In response to rumor of widespread corruption, deputy defense minister Timur Ivanov, a protégé of defense minister Sergei Shoigu, was detained last month on suspicion of bribery. Although Shoigu may fall under the government’s purge, some analysts have suggested that since the war is still raging, it would be a brave decision.
At home, Putin’s popularity is closely tied to improving living standards for ordinary Russians.
Putin once more promised a prosperous future for Russia on Tuesday, but many people have seen increases in living expenses since the Ukrainian invasion.
Putin began his term in 2018 by promising to get Russia into the top five global economies, vowing it should be “modern and dynamic”. Instead, Russia’s economy has pivoted to a war footing, and authorities are spending record amounts on defense.
The government could raise taxes to fund the war and make more men join the military, according to analysts, now that Putin has six more years in power.
Authorities have reacted to any form of dissent since the invasion with a ferocity unlike any other since the Soviet era.
Putin made a promise to keep his critics at bay on Tuesday.
He urged Russia to be” strong and unwaveringly resistant to any challenges and threats” and recalled the” tragic cost of internal turmoil and upheaval” before his audience at the Grand Kremlin Palace.
Putin is now in his fifth term, almost unopposed in the country.
Anyone who discredits the military faces lengthy prison sentences as a result of laws passed. The Kremlin also targets independent media, rights groups, LGBTQ+ activists and others who do n’t hew to what Putin has emphasized as Russia’s” traditional family values”.
His greatest political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic penal colony in February. Even some of his opponents abroad are concerned about their security, and other well-known critics have either been imprisoned or have fled the country.
Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, released a video ahead of the inauguration in which she said Putin’s promises “are not only empty, they are false”.
Russia, she said, is “ruled by a liar, a thief and a murderer”.
