Vladimir Putin, who has been either president or prime minister of Russia since 1999, was sworn in for a fourth term as president Monday at the Grand Kremlin Palace's ornately-decorated Andreyevsky Hall. Putin said, "I consider it my duty and my life's aim to do everything possible for Russia, for its present and for its future."
He will not be able to run for a fifth term as president unless there is a change to Russia's constitution which prohibits more than two consecutive terms.
Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine during his most recent term and also partnered with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for a military campaign in Syria.