VLAD THE FIFTH

am Putin sworn in yet again. watched by biker gang Doss and, er, Pg Steven Seagal

- MATTHEW YOUNG

VLADIMIR Putin was sworn in for his fifth term as Russian president in front of 2500 guests, who included Hollywood action hero Steven Seagal and Night Wolves biker gang leader Alexander Zaldostanov, also known as The Surgeon.

At the ceremony inside the gilded Grand Kremlin Palace, Putin placed his hand on the Russian Constitution and vowed to defend it.

He first became the country’s leader in May 2000, pledging at the time to “preserve and develop democracy” and “take care of Russia”.

He has since launched a full-scale war on Ukraine, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Russian casualties, and extinguished all opposition either through arrest, assassination or during the recent questionable election. Officially, Putin won more than 87 per cent of the vote in the March presidential ballot but he had faced no serious challenger in a contest widely seen as neither free, nor fair.