President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration Tuesday, embarking on another six years as leader of Russia after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was inaugurated to his fifth term in office on Tuesday despite much of the Western world, including the United States, boycotting the ceremony because of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

At a ceremony inside the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace, Putin placed his hand on the Russian constitution and vowed to defend it as a crowd of hand-picked dignitaries looked on.

Vladimir Putin, honoured like a Russian tsar at his swearing-in for a new six-year presidential term, had a double-edged message for the West: the Kremlin is ready to talk but Russia is girding for victory in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has formally begun his fifth term as Russia’s president in a carefully choreographed inauguration ceremony, in a country he has shaped in his image after first taking office nearly a quarter of a century ago.

Vladimir Putin is beginning his fifth term as Russian president after destroying his political opposition, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and consolidating power

Artyom Zhoga, Chairman of the People's Council of Russian-controlled parts in Ukraine's Donetsk region, waits before the inauguration ceremony of Russian President Vladimir Putin