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Russia’s Vladimir Putin is due to be inaugurated for a fourth term after winning re-election and extending his power for another six years.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin was sworn in as president on Monday for a fourth term, extending his power for another six years.
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He is already Moscow’s longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin.
The election of Putin as president comes as relations with the west are increasingly strained and the country has seen a crackdown on opposition groups.
Putin has been in power for 18 years during which time he has annexed Crimea from Ukraine and backed Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
On Saturday, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was barred from challenging Putin in the election, called on Russians to stage a day of rallies across the country.
Navalny was arrested along with more than 1,600 protesters.