Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was sworn in for his fifth presidential term in the Kremlin on a freezing Russian day in May under the snow. In 2008 he declared that the worst kind of addiction is an addiction to power, and vowed that he would not run for a third term. The representatives of the USA, EU and UK desert. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US would not be represented because it does not consider the Russian presidential elections to be fair and fair, but recognizes Putin as head of state. Instead, the ambassadors of six European countries were present: France, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Hungary and Slovakia. A signal that – whatever it means – must be taken.
Immediately after the inauguration, Putin is expected to present his candidate for prime minister to the Duma, who will almost certainly be Mikhail Mishustin. However, it is not at all certain that Putin has a special relationship with Mishustin, and that he is the chosen one for later. At Easter, Putin went to the Orthodox rite in the Moscow cathedral only with the mayor, Sergey Sobyanin. Mishustin’s reappointment would only mean that Putin postpones the question of choosing a successor.
In total, 2,600 people were invited to the inauguration, but no official representatives of the USA, European Union or United Kingdom went. Only six individual EU states were present with ambassadors: France, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Hungary and Slovakia. There were soldiers who fought in Ukraine. There were military bloggers who were important for supporting the regime. Ramzan Kadyrov was also noticed in the Kremlin, not in very good health, to put it mildly. There was the American actor Steven Seagal, a now caricatured Putinist. The singer Shaman was there. And there were obviously, we will return to it, holoifarchs, figureheads, familiars.
On a wall in a corridor of the Kremlin, where Putin stopped (and had his photograph taken) for a second, there was a painting by Sergei Prisekin (“Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword”). In reality, the situation in Russia is complex. Gazprom’s gas collapses. Oil is hit hard. 465 thousand Russian soldiers are the total losses, dead or seriously wounded. Russia’s isolation is enormous. However, on the battlefield, Moscow is advancing east of Avdeevka, in Donbas, albeit not at a fast pace, taking advantage of the fierce internal struggle in the US Congress. Putin vowed to «respect and safeguard the rights and freedoms of people and citizens, defend the Constitution and sovereignty [russa]», and to «serve the people». He thanked the Russians and those occupied regions in Ukraine that he still calls “historical regions”, which in his historical-political parallel world have “defended their right to be part of Russia”. Addressing the veterans, he said “together, we will overcome all obstacles and win.” But it is the first time he has talked about obstacles, he publicly admits their existence. And at least he claims to reach out to the West: «We do not refuse dialogue with Western states. The choice is up to them. Do they want to continue trying to limit Russia’s development, continue the policy of aggression, pressure on our country that has not ceased for years, or look at a path to cooperation and peace?”
In the audience, two of his closest friends were photographed together, the cellist Sergey Roldugin (considered in Western sanctions one of his personal figureheads), and Gennady Timchenko, one of his “personal portfolios”, a friend of his youth since the days of the Ozero Cooperative. Immediately after the oath, while the anthem was being sung, a snapshot was taken of what the Russian oligarchy is today, at least the part that remained closest to the dictator. Among them were Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of the presidential administration responsible among other things for propaganda operations in Europe, deputy Anna Kuznetsova, the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller, Putin’s secret niece, Anna Tsivileva, with her husband , the governor of the Kemerovo region Sergei Tsivilev.
Patriarch Kirill wanted Putin to remain in power until the “end of the century” and compared him to Alexander Nevsky
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church said during a thanksgiving service after Putin’s inauguration that leaders sometimes have to make “formidable decisions,” and cited the example of Prince Alexander Nevsky, who later became a saint. Putin made a saint right away. Almost. At the end of his speech, the patriarch wished Putin: “God grant that the end of the century means the end of your stay in power.”