He is due to be sworn in for another six-year term after winning an election in March that observers abroad criticized as lopsided and rigged.
Putin, 71, is expected to be sworn in at a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, attended by senior Russian politicians and guests.
During his 24 years of rule, V. Putin sought to restore Russia’s power and dominance in neighboring countries. Russian forces are currently continuing in 2022. the large-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February.
In elections in March marred by allegations of fraud, he received 87 percent of the vote. votes, no genuine opposition candidate was allowed to run. In order to stay in power, a few years ago V. Putin rewrote the Russian constitution. After his current term ends in 2030, the constitution allows Mr. Putin to run for another term and rule until 2036, when he will be 83.
Traditionally in Russia, the government resigns after the inauguration of the president so that the head of state can form a new cabinet. According to information from the Duma, Russia’s parliament, lawmakers could approve the appointments of new ministers by May 15.
Political commentators are waiting to see if 74-year-old Sergey Lavrov, who has held this position for 20 years, will be reappointed as foreign minister. There is also speculation about the future of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, whose chief deputy Timur Ivanov was recently arrested and charged with corruption.
Putin’s inauguration will be broadcast live on most of Russia’s main television channels from around midday, when a luxury motorcade will bring him to Moscow’s Grand Kremlin Palace. Upon arrival, he will walk through the corridors of the palace to the ornate St. Andrew’s Hall, where he will take the presidential oath and briefly address the Russians.
Government officials and foreign diplomats, including French Ambassador Pierre Levy, are expected to attend the ceremony. Other European countries, including Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic, have said they will not send representatives amid tensions over the war in Ukraine.
The inauguration will take place two days before Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9 and has acquired a new symbolic meaning, with Putin comparing the attack in Ukraine to Russia’s fight against Nazi Germany in World War II.
Before both events, the authorities erected barricades throughout the city center of Moscow.
Putin begins his six-year term with more power than ever, buoyed by progress on the battlefield in Ukraine and sustained economic growth despite Western sanctions.
On the domestic front, he experienced the revolt of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mercenary group “Wagner”, who died in a plane crash last June, and his main political rival Alexei Navalny died in prison in February. His victory in March means he is likely to become Russia’s longest-serving ruler in a century, surpassing Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.
Last year, the Russian military held off a long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive and has since strengthened its position on the front lines, with Kyiv running low on ammunition and soldiers. But with the war now in its third year and Russia’s economy heading into overheating, Putin will face major challenges in his fifth term. Inflation, which causes the greatest dissatisfaction of the Russian population, does not abate, Moscow allocates billions to the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin also failed to quell fears that the next phase of unpopular mobilization will be announced during V. Putin’s new term, and the dissatisfaction of the wives of men sent to war continues to smolder.
