Putin is Starting His 5th Term as President

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 3, 2024. Sputnik/Aleksey Babushkin/Kremlin via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 3, 2024. Sputnik/Aleksey Babushkin/Kremlin via REUTERS
TT
20

Putin is Starting His 5th Term as President

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 3, 2024. Sputnik/Aleksey Babushkin/Kremlin via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia May 3, 2024. Sputnik/Aleksey Babushkin/Kremlin via REUTERS

Vladimir Putin begins his fifth term as Russian president in an opulent Kremlin inauguration Tuesday, after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and consolidating all power in his hands.
Already in office for nearly a quarter-century and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin, Putin’s new term doesn’t expire until 2030, when he is constitutionally eligible to run for another six years.
He has transformed Russia from a country emerging from economic collapse to a pariah state that threatens global security. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine that has become Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, Russia has been heavily sanctioned by the West and is turning to other regimes like China, Iran and North Korea for support.
The question now is what the 71-year-old Putin will do over the course of another six years, both at home and abroad.
Russian forces are gaining ground in Ukraine, deploying scorched-earth tactics as Kyiv grapples with shortages of men and ammunition. Both sides are taking heavy casualties.
Ukraine has brought the battle to Russian soil through drone and missile attacks, especially in border regions. In a speech in February, Putin vowed to fulfill Moscow’s goals in Ukraine, and do what is needed to “defend our sovereignty and security of our citizens.”
Shortly after his orchestrated reelection in March, Putin suggested that a confrontation between NATO and Russia is possible, and he declared he wanted to carve out a buffer zone in Ukraine to protect his country from cross-border attacks.
At home, Putin's popularity is closely tied to improving living standards for ordinary Russians.
He began his term in 2018 by promising to get Russia into the top five global economies, vowing it should be “modern and dynamic.” Instead, Russia's economy has pivoted to a war footing, and authorities are spending record amounts on defense.
Analysts say now that Putin has secured another six years in power, the government could take the unpopular steps of raising taxes to fund the war and pressure more men to join the military.
At the start of a new term, the Russian government is routinely dissolved so that Putin can name a new prime minister and Cabinet.
One key area to watch is the Defense Ministry.
Last year, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu came under pressure over his conduct of the war, with mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launching withering criticism against him for shortages of ammunition for his private contractors fighting in Ukraine. Prigozhin's brief uprising in June against the Defense Ministry represented the biggest threat to Putin's rule.
After Prigozhin was killed two months later in a mysterious plane crash, Shoigu appeared to have survived the infighting. But last month, his protege, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, was detained on charges of bribery amid reports of rampant corruption.
Some analysts have suggested Shoigu could become a victim of the government reshuffle but that would be a bold move as the war is still raging in Ukraine.
In the years following the invasion, authorities have cracked down on any form of dissent with a ferocity not seen since Soviet times. There is no sign that this repression will ease in Putin's new term.
His greatest political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic penal colony in February. Other prominent critics have either been imprisoned or have fled the country, and even some of his opponents abroad fear for their security.
Laws have been enacted that threaten long prison terms for anyone who discredits the military. The Kremlin also targets independent media, rights groups, LGBTQ+ activists and others who don't hew to what Putin has emphasized as Russia's “traditional family values.”



Ukraine Says Russian Drone Attack Injures Three, Damages Homes in Odesa 

A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Ukraine Says Russian Drone Attack Injures Three, Damages Homes in Odesa 

A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)

A Russian drone attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa overnight injured three people, sparked fires and damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, officials of the southern Ukrainian region said on Wednesday.

Various morning attacks by Russian aviation and artillery on the southern city of Kherson also killed one person and injured three more, local authorities said.

In a Telegram post, Ukraine's emergency service said three people were injured and several fires broke out in Odesa as a result of the overnight attack there.

In Odesa, residents picked through debris in several ruined homes. A woman swept up after the windows in a church were smashed.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 57 out of 97 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 34 did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.

It did not specify what happened to the remaining six drones.

The emergency services also said an attack on Kamianske in Dnipropetrovsk region injured two people and damaged a gas pipeline. The fires had been put out by the morning.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

Late in March, the United States said it had reached separate deals with Ukraine and Russia to pause their attacks over the Black Sea and against each other's energy targets.

Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaking the moratorium on striking energy facilities.