Watch: Putin inaugurated for fifth Russian presidential term after sham election victory

Watch as an inauguration ceremony is held for Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday 7 May, after he claimed a landslide victory in sham elections, extending his rule for another six years.

Already in office for nearly a quarter-century and the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Joseph Stalin, Mr Putin’s new term doesn’t expire until 2030, when he is constitutionally eligible to run for another six years.

Britain did not send a representative to the Russian president’s swearing-in ceremony over the war in Ukraine, much like most of the European Union states.

“Russia’s assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated, and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state,” a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said on Monday.

“The UK condemns the Russian government’s reprehensible actions, which are an egregious violation of international law and the UN Charter.”

In a speech in February, Mr Putin vowed to fulfil Moscow’s goals in Ukraine, and do what is needed to “defend our sovereignty and security of our citizens.”

Shortly after his orchestrated re-election in March, the president 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.