Putin sworn in for another six years as Russia’s President
Vladimir Putin to begin another six-year term as Russian president after his re-election in March.
Standing in the Grand Kremlin Palace’s ornately-decorated Andreyevsky Hall with his hand on a gold-embossed copy of the constitution, Putin swore to serve the Russian people, safeguard their rights and freedoms, and defend Russian sovereignty.
Vladimir Putin (Image: Sergei Ilnitsky / EP)
Putin was inaugurated for his fourth term as president two months after more than 70 percent of voters backed him in a presidential election in which he had no serious challengers.
He is Russia’s longest-lasting leader since the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who ruled for nearly 30 years.
The Russian constitution bars him from running again when his new terms end in 2024.
His inauguration follows nationwide rallies and protests which resulted in the arrests of at least 1,200 demonstrators.
Russia’s interior ministry said about half of the 1,200 arrests happened in Moscow, but monitoring group OVD-Info put the number at more than 1,600 across 20 cities.
Sources: Reuters, CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC, Sky News
Anastasiya The Kootneeti Team - Kremlin Watch
