Vladimir Putin’s fifth term as president of Russia has begun, following his inauguration in Moscow on Tuesday.
The ceremony was held at the Grand Kremlin Palace, after the 71-year-old leader took a short car ride to the location from his workplace. The current protocol was first used in 1996, when Boris Yeltsin assumed his second term in office.
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The oath to serve the nation and its people is taken while placing one hand on a special copy of the constitution used during inaugurations. The document used on Tuesday was updated to reflect amendments adopted in 2020 and the inclusion of four former Ukrainian regions which voted in referendums in 2022 to join Russia.
Lawmakers from both chambers of the nation’s parliament and justices of the Constitutional Court were present. Following the oath, Chief Justice Valery Zorkin confirmed Putin’s fifth presidency, which will last for six years.
Putin’s previous inaugurations took place in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018. This year stands out, as a number of Western nations and the EU chose to boycott the event. Their governments claim that this year’s presidential election in Russia, which Putin won with a record 87.28% of the vote, was not free and fair.
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Russia’s relations with the West are at one of their worst points in history. Moscow has accused the US and its allies of waging a proxy war against Russia. Sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and supplies of military aid to Ukraine are meant to contain Russia’s development, its leadership has said. The West claims it is reacting to “unprovoked aggression” by Putin and his government.