Putin promises economic boost in his 4th term
MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin took the oath of office Monday for a fourth term as Russia’s president, in a ceremony staged in a gilded Kremlin hall once used to crown czars and replete with pageantry, highlighting his vast accumulation of authority after nearly two decades in power.
Putin, a former KGB agent, has ruled Russia as prime minister or president for more than 18 years, and in that time has crafted an image as a steely leader and the man best qualified to rebuild his country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.