Vladimir Putin began his fifth term on May 7 as Russian leader at a Kremlin inauguration.
Putin won his first presidential election in March 2000 and a second term in 2004.
After two stints as president, he switched back to being prime minister in 2008 to circumvent a constitutional ban on holding more than two consecutive terms as head of state.
He returned to the presidency in 2012 despite pro-democracy protests in Moscow, winning a fourth term in 2018.