For the fifth consecutive time, Vladimir Putin will tread the familiar path from the Grand Kremlin Palace to the St. Andrew’s Throne Hall, where he’ll take the oath of office, commencing another six-year term as Russia’s president.
Though the route remains unchanged, the landscape has shifted significantly since Putin’s initial inauguration in May 2000. What began with pledges to “preserve and develop democracy” and “care for Russia” has evolved into a starkly different reality.
Now, twenty-four years later, Putin finds himself embroiled in a conflict with Ukraine, enduring substantial losses. Domestically, rather than nurturing democracy, he’s suppressed it, consolidating power by silencing critics and dismantling checks and balances. Fiona Hill, a former White House national security advisor, perceives Putin’s self-image as akin to that of a Russian tsar, marking a departure from his earlier pragmatic stance.
Reflecting on his first two terms, one might have held a more favorable view of Putin’s leadership. He stabilized the country politically and restored its financial solvency, leading to a period of unprecedented economic performance and stability. However, the annexation of Crimea a decade ago and subsequent events in Ukraine have altered this trajectory significantly, transforming Putin into an imperialist figure rather than a pragmatist.
The passage of time underscores Putin’s enduring influence, as the United States has seen five presidents and Britain seven prime ministers during his tenure. While terms like “Brezhnevism,” “Gorbachevism,” or “Yeltsinism” were rarely heard in the past, Putin’s legacy has firmly etched his name into the annals of Russian history.