Vladimir Putin began his fifth term as Russian president at a palace in Moscow in front of a crowd of faces – including actor Steven Seagal and the leader of a biker gang.
“We are a united and great people and together we will overcome all obstacles, realise all our plans, together we will win,” he said after being sworn in on Tuesday.
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At the ceremony in the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace, Mr Putin placed his hand on the Russian Constitution and vowed to defend it as a crowd of hand-picked dignitaries looked on.
A number of famous faces were in the crowd waiting to see the Kremlin leader sworn in once again. They included:
American actor (and now Russian citizen) Steven Seagal
The US actor, known for films such as Under Siege and On Deadly Ground, is an ally of Mr Putin.
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In 2018 he was appointed as Russia’s special envoy to the US.
Head of the Chechen Republic, and Putin ally, Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya, a federal republic of Russia, since 2007 and enjoys considerable leeway from Mr Putin in return for ensuring the region’s stability.
He has sent thousands of his fighters to Ukraine.
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Biker gang leader Alexander Zaldostanov
Known as ‘the surgeon’, Alexander Zaldostanov is a leader of the Night Wolves biker gang and has been accused by the US of involvement in the annexation of Crimea.
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Actor Ivan Okhlobystin
A former priest, Ivan Okhlobystin is a Russian actor and director.
Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin and defence minister Sergei Shoigu
There were also a host of political and military figures at the ceremony, including defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Mr Putin’s deputy prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin.
