Warsaw: Russian President Vladimir Putin officially began his fifth term on Tuesday after quashing domestic dissent and deepening conflicts with the West during a quarter of a century in power.
Since becoming president on Christmas Day 1999, the previously unknown KGB agent has consolidated power by reining in the oligarchy, banning real opposition and turning Russia into an authoritarian state.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin leader will seek a fifth term after winning a landslide election in March in a vote condemned by the West as rigged.
The election was overshadowed by the mysterious death of Putin rival Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison.
Other opponents face long prison terms or flee into exile.
Abroad, Putin, 71, has led the fight against Western hegemony.
After Ukraine seceded in February 2022, its grip on power tightened and public opposition to the war was silenced through prosecutions and prison sentences.
His reign will be defined by a war in Ukraine that has left thousands dead and unprecedented Western sanctions that have crippled Russia’s economy.
In the early hours of February 24, 2022, there were major anti-war protests in the days following the surrender of Ukrainian forces.
But a few months later, when Russia failed to overthrow the Ukrainian government at the start of the war, the government was forced to declare partial mobilization.
The most serious challenge to Putin’s long reign came in June 2023, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime ally and head of Wagner’s mercenary group, launched a coup to remove Russia’s military leadership.
A bloody uprising would discredit Putin as an independent strategic genius – troubling for a ruler who likes to compare himself to Peter the Great, the reform-minded emperor who expanded Russia’s borders.
But in recent months, Putin has shown his continued strength.
local opposition has been silenced, the economy has grown again, Russian troops have settled in eastern Ukraine and continue to travel abroad.
Putin began his career as an intelligence officer in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, before starting his political career in his hometown of St.
Russia’s first president, Boris Yeltsin, appointed him head of the FSB security service in 1998 and prime minister the following year.
This is a carefully planned strategy that culminated in Yeltsin being introduced to the executive presidency when he resigned.
Putin won his first presidential election in March 2000 and his second in 2004.
The rise raises hopes that Russia will reform and become a predictable democratic partner with the West on the world stage.
Putin rose to fame by promising stability to a country that has survived a decade of post-Soviet humiliation and economic chaos.
After serving two terms as president, he became prime minister in 2008 to remove the constitutional ban on serving more than two consecutive terms as head of state.
But he held on to power and won a fourth term in 2018, returning to the presidency in 2012 despite anti-democratic protests in Moscow.
He captured his rival Naval in 2021.
The crackdown on the opposition movement intensified after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
Thousands of Russians face lengthy prison sentences under newly enforced censorship laws.
The West has imposed sanctions that effectively cut off Russia’s global banking system and contributed to the containment mentality of Russian leaders.
In October 2023, Putin accused Europe of creating a “new iron curtain” and said Russia was building a “new world order” not based on Western hegemony.
It also fueled an agenda of nationalism and social conservatism, including Russia’s new anti-LGBTQ law.
After the invasion of Ukraine, strongman Russia, who is not persona grata among Western leaders, has sought to push eastward, taking on India and China as energy exports soar.
At the same time, in an effort to dominate Ukraine, has dramatically increased defense spending and created a new war economy.
The war failed in its initial goal of overthrowing the Ukrainian government, and Russia suffered several humiliating setbacks while decisively defending the smaller Ukrainian army.
But with the conflict now in its third year, Putin has spoken with confidence about Russia’s future on the battlefield – a theme he has withheld for months.
Russian forces have successfully repelled many attacks against Ukraine in the past year and have made significant progress in 2024.
