Vladimir Putin is set to be inaugurated Tuesday for a fifth term as president in a gilded hall in the Kremlin Palace where Russian czars were once crowned. The traditional pomp and ceremony is designed to convey his might as Russia’s supreme, uncontested leader for the past quarter-century.
As Putin met with members of the government Monday, preparing to begin his new term, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced it would stage tactical nuclear missile drills in the near future, accusing Western officials of escalatory rhetoric over the Ukraine war. Russia’s Foreign Ministry also summoned the British and French ambassadors for a scolding, sending a tough message about Russia’s hardening approach to the West.