Vladimir Putin officially began his fifth term as the president of Russia after the 71-year-old  politician was sworn in at an inauguration ceremony held in the Kremlin, Russia, on Tuesday.

Russia’s high-ranking military officials and top members of the country’s political establishment were present as Mr Putin, first elected in 2000, began his new six-year term.

In March, Mr Putin won the country’s three-day presidential election after winning 87.3 per cent of the votes that were counted by the Central Election Commission (CEC).

As expected, the United States and many European countries did not send representatives for Mr Putin’s inauguration. Washington said it did not consider the election a free and fair one.

“We certainly did not consider that election free and fair, but he is the president of Russia and is going to continue in that capacity,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday.

However, many critics consider Mr Putin’s continuous stay in office a grab for power as the Russian government under his leadership has jailed multiple opposition leaders and figures who are openly critical of him.