5 things to know about Putin’s inauguration

6 months ago 3

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Vladimir Putin was sworn in for a fifth term as Russia’s president on Tuesday, lending a facade of legitimacy to a process that saw him change the constitution and conduct a sham election to extend his quarter-century rule by another six years.

“From here on it’s repetition and degradation,” wrote London-based political analyst Vladimir Pastukhov.

What it looked like

The man (Putin), the venue (the Kremlin’s Grand Palace) and the date (May 7) have not changed since 2000 (barring a short interlude in 2008, when Dmitry Medvedev took over the presidential baton).

Neither, it appears, has Russian state television’s approach to covering the event.

As on previous occasions, Putin was shown finishing some work in his office before walking down a long corridor and being driven to the ceremony.

The scenario left commentators with little to say beyond noting Putin’s newfound interest in the paintings that have adorned his office for decades, or the updated Aurus luxury car that carried him to the venue.

Even the divine blessing bestowed on Putin by Russia’s Patriarch Kirill — who called him “Your Highness” and expressed the hope that Putin would “rule until the end of his life” — was a repeat.

But where humans fail to innovate, nature steps in. Unlike the sunny inauguration of 2018, this year’s version was gray and snowy, allowing the pro-Kremlin camp to shower Putin with praise for braving the cold without a hat.

What Putin said

In a short speech after taking the oath of office and promising to defend the Russian Constitution — which was altered to allow him to run again following a controversial 2020 referendum — Putin promised to “place the interests and safety of the Russian people above all else.”

In a post on Telegram, pro-Kremlin analyst Alexei Chesnakov summarized Putin’s message ahead of his next six-year term in three words: “Sovereignty. Development. Unity.”

Who was there

Speaking of eternal recurrence, the crowd of several thousand people contained many of the same faces as last time — Putin being no fan of political renewal — along with people connected to the war in Ukraine.

One notable attendee was Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who is rumored to have fallen from favor with the Kremlin after his deputy was arrested recently for corruption.

Another attention-grabbing appearance was that of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who was conspicuously absent from Putin’s state-of-the-nation address in February and is said to be terminally ill.

Rather than dispel those rumors, Kadyrov was caught on camera being helped out of his coat, leading some to comment that he is either too ill or too despotic (little surprise there) to do it himself.

The list of foreign dignitaries reportedly included envoys from several European countries — France, Hungary, Slovakia, Malta, Cyprus and Greece — hinting at division among Western countries on how to deal with Putin amid calls by Russia’s opposition to declare him illegitimate.

But the favorite guest of the pro-Kremlin commentators appeared to be Steven Seagal, the Hollywood actor-turned-cheerleader of Putin’s regime.

Who wasn’t there

Some 20 EU countries reportedly boycotted the ceremony, while the U.S. ambassador was also absent after leaving Moscow, according to Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the no-shows were not “a reason for certain retaliatory measures,” noting the inauguration was primarily meant for Russian citizens.

Nonetheless, Russian propagandists gleefully pointed out that Western media covered the inauguration, hailing it as proof of Putin’s stature despite his international isolation.