The inauguration comes two days before Victory Day, Russia's most important secular holiday, commemorating the Soviet Red Army's capture of Berlin in World War II.

Just a few months short of a quarter-century as Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin on Tuesday will put his hand on a copy of the constitution and begin another six-year term as president wielding extraordinary power.

Vladimir Putin begins another term as president, shaping Russia into a monolith with a focus on Ukraine and traditional values.

Confirmation can bring relief. This week, however, in the case of the United Nations confirming the use of North Korean missiles by the Kremlin terror cabal to carry out the genocide of Ukrainians, a belated report from the bureaucratic body brought none.

Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, right, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin after conducting an Orthodox Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia, early Sunday,

On Wednesday, Shoigu removed Ivanov from his post as deputy defense minister, according to Kremlin-controlled news agency TASS. Hours earlier, reports emerged of Ivanov's arrest on accusations that he had been taking bribes on what a Moscow court called "a particularly large scale." He could face 15 years in prison.