Vladimir Putin has officially begun his fifth term as president of Russia after being inaugurated in Moscow on Tuesday, in a ceremony that took place at the Grand Kremlin Palace.

During the ceremony, Putin took an oath to serve the nation and its people, placing one hand on a special copy of the constitution used specifically for inaugurations. The document used this time was updated to include amendments adopted in 2020 and to reflect the incorporation of four former Ukrainian regions that voted in referendums in 2022 to join Russia.

Members of both chambers of the national parliament and justices from the Constitutional Court were present. Chief Justice Valery Zorkin confirmed Putin's fifth six-year presidency after he took the oath. Putin was inaugurated previously in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018.

This year is significant because several Western nations and the EU chose to boycott the ceremony. These governments asserted that this year's Russian presidential election, where Putin secured an unprecedented 87.28% of the vote, was not conducted fairly or freely.

This inauguration protocol was first introduced in 1996 during Boris Yeltsin's second term.

Russia to hold nuclear drills amid possible NATO deployment to Ukraine

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed in a statement Russia's decision to conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills after remarks by certain NATO countries regarding the potential deployment of their troops to Ukraine.

The exercise will be conducted “in the near future” and was ordered by President Vladimir Putin, according to the Defense Ministry.

This comes after a “new” and “unprecedented” escalation of the situation, Peskov added.

“They talked about the readiness and even the intention to send armed contingents to Ukraine, that is, to actually put NATO soldiers in front of the Russian military,” Peskov said. 

”This is a new round of escalation of tension, and it is unprecedented. It requires special attention and special measures,” he noted. 

This also follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's admission that the situation on the frontline with Russia is deteriorating, pointing fingers at the West for its “limited” military assistance.

Speaking to the Ukrainian nation on April 14, he said, "The situation on the front during a hot war is always difficult. But these days – and especially in the Donetsk areas – it’s getting harder."

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