By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Held inside the throne room of the Tsars, the ceremony felt almost like a coronation rather than an inauguration.
And that was part of the point. The symbolism was key.
Andreyevsky Hall, where Vladimir Putin took the oath of office, is dripping with gold.
It oozes power.
I think this was an attempt to paint him as a modern-day Tsar, who is the rightful ruler of Russia.
The other aim was to add the stamp of electoral legitimacy to his leadership, and his policies.
The Kremlin’s chief spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told me beforehand that this was just part of the “democratic” political process (see our 13.35 post).
The speech was typical Putin – talking up Russia’s greatness, blaming the West for Moscow’s isolation and doubling down on his current path of conflict abroad and a crackdown at home.
He said he ranks the safety of the Russian people “above all else.”
Translation – we’re in this for the long haul.
But whose fault is Russia’s status as a global pariah?
Not ours, he said.
This was all part of the Kremlin’s narrative to portray the West as the aggressor, and Russia as the victim.
What might concern people both at home and abroad was the tone of the speech.
For example, he gave a thinly veiled warning that protest will not be tolerated, saying it’s important “not to forget the tragic price of internal turmoil”, adding that Russia must be “absolutely resistant” to it.
And the last line: “We will overcome all obstacles and bring all our plans to life.”
Vladimir Putin seems more confident than ever.
