day for the presidential big birthday regiment itself yes it's a regiment that obeys protects the president only and the kremlin the president may condemn that you know i can tell you there's a really impressive young man i'm not looking at who can see so many i think he's he doesn't look happy to me he looks like he's got a lot on his mind like a lot of work ahead no i don't remember it's what you tell me i'm going to live like a wild western politicians nonsense but certainly a lot on his mind six years ahead of him these two gentlemen have been working together for a long time i suspect they will continue to do so but i'm going to be hoping to see political reforms more with political parties with elections also with the expression we did have some protests yesterday was a provocation but nonetheless i think russian political society is getting used to a pretty tough conversation i think is good for everybody and mr putin will be with me. this is going to music and just remind you for just showing this you watching r t a live event for you big event today at the inauguration of the new russian

president.

now we can see this. president here is not. the. next. head of the russia's federation council.

but lady seen some history and said it's so so so nice that he's there because it was a very small democratic transition from yeltsin to look and then that you know one more time to underline that it's in place we have. political career is based upon a decision that made such a historical fact. that . from prison walls to. nation to visit a woman with twenty six give us give yourself a break from the. big squeeze it. of course the public holiday here in russia today is not as well a public holiday tomorrow but it's probably a good idea it's a public holiday because it's not easy to drive around moscow particularly around red square. expect a huge parade me. i'll be sitting here tomorrow covering the parade. it's the

day after to day after tomorrow but it's nice to see moscow this empty because people have left the town the moment president new president would have a putin is heading to see the patriarch of russia. again and this mistress to our audience here more continuity and this is something that people some people in moscow get from frustrated with the changes in happen enough but as a country as a whole in a very turbulent world people cast a vote for stability in the person they know and again i'd like to stress as much as western media doesn't like it but i'm here putin is genuinely popular in this country when you look at the choice the russian people were given there was only one obvious one in my mind of he was he got the percentage of the sixty four percent ok that's a landslide victory by any standard again what could happen to mr zorra cause. he is the ninth or tenth leader to fall since the financial crisis we see mr putin returning because of the stability i was country i just went through dispersed any

doubts of election fraud because i was there for twenty seven hours i was part of the election committee of one of the regions in moscow and i can tell you this this was one of the most transparent elections one has ever seen really you know this is you know sophia i mean i don't want to get overly political on this day of celebration for mr putin but you know going yesterday seeing the protesters yesterday they're the most undemocratic elements in russia today because they do not agree with the outcome of an election democracy means fifty percent plus one ok if you disagree with it then you're disagreeing with the process so i guess it's a good thing that we have the last part of it it's very important to protest leaders all over the world have to listen to what the people want even minorities ok as long as it's done peacefully without applying let's talk about insiders leave the politics aside for a second and go to what i did a very very very cross started maro very. very famous saying there is actor hello. what do you know so i think they're dispersing and getting

ready for the evening dinner now tell me about that i don't know because they haven't disclosed the information to me personally but out so it should have a menu around what has to be because it will be some black caviar and fried scallops that much we know and i'm sure some expensive champagne as well how much. they plan to mount and i'm in advance because it's a lot of people and you can't possibly prepare this amount of food in one or two days you know you have a lot of media representatives there of course representing the media companies here. being one of the my very own bill dogs going this way hoping to catch it in officially the culture with him later on that you should ask him what he will wasn't really you know if you're going to be here i didn't get an invitation maybe some lunch back you never know here is where you have your favorite but you've got this series. called. in five i think there we go yes we can see

the camera has just finished shorts and you've just seen. sworn in as russia's next president in a lavish ceremony in the credit for last. so the third term of course is the country's leader kicked off they will hold the post now for the next six years a brand. and take you through the special event in the studio we've got a piece of resident political commentator moreover. also sophie shevardnadze as well our interview person knows full well what goes on in the looks and qualities of the kremlin because watching a show with the trash inside. of me has been good to see putin back into the crowd for the third time and this time peter let's get your take on it what do you make of the events. you know

as we've been talking about i think it's going to be a lot more of the same but i think the challenges are more difficult than we were of them with mr putin of the first eight years and mr putin a changed man to make the point i think yes i mean he's a very good masterful politician and i think he understands the condition of russian politics and the economy it's the economy economy economy that's what he's focused most on ok and we see civil society waking up we have a spring in russian politics which is very good so i think he's going to have to marry the two together putin two are talking about. i think it's just a continuation of putin one i don't like the different numbers and all that because we've seen such continuity here when people voted for that's what people wanted which i think is really it makes sense it's a different person now that i think oh yeah yeah i mean just physically look at him he's changed a lot too i think he's learned to have to learn to listen more i mean in the chaos he had an idea what he wanted to do he cheated it but now we have a society maturing politically and you could have to have dialogue dialogue it could be key here ok. the better course is inside the kremlin we saw him earlier on

let's catch up with a correspondent outside the kremlin this is not sure if you can hear us that we can see you good stuff well we we watched with great pleasure at that event it was spectacular to see what was about where you are. well not very much happening where i am i was watching the event with you guys along with us and say on my i pad just before though the inauguration some protesters did make their way to just across from mine yes they are square which is where we are on this side of the kremlin the opposite side that would be above where but the mayor putin drove through the spots you tower there but they were pretty much just birth that remained relatively peaceful a couple of a rest were made of course nothing compared to what we saw in the streets of moscow yesterday where it was very evident really the line you have on how people view it tends to come down to not always but very commonly pretty much

a very black and white either you are for him or against him and yesterday we saw pro protests and also anti protests which really did turn ugly but one thing we're hearing from a lot of people although peter the might disagree here is that one way or another if putin is going to have a successful third term in office he's going to have to make some changes. he's back for an unprecedented third term after a break as prime minister and many say russia will need to see putin two point zero any leader who's been in power for five six seven years in a difficult position because people get used to him and the taken for granted he has to then reinvent himself putin has made the promise i had of the poll he proposed vast reforms from a major crackdown on corruption to diversifying the economy and raising living

standards it's the richest of all it's just students next term will be the one that forms his legacy as a politician in russian history and i'm sure it will be a positive one. but the people to be convinced most are the opposition who gathered in the largest numbers russia has seen for decades. after claims a vast front in december's duma vote and clashed with riot police on the eve of putin's inauguration. he needs to set out for reform and not a reform on paper but something real something that both the opposition and you know the regular people not just in moscow but all throughout russia can see that this is really putin two point zero the most popular politician no doubt has a majority of support across russia and is credited with extraordinary development in the country but putin leaves few people in different at home and abroad it

usually comes down to love or hate but i don't think that everything that putin has done is defensible or by a by a very wide stretch but there are some people who argue in such transparent bad faith that it's you know it's impossible not to know is that it's just it's a person it's a personality thing in the west he's seen as harsher than me especially on foreign policy which could prove to be a challenge on issues like the reset with the u.s. and pushes for intervention in the middle east but on the economic front analyst have already sense to change at least three key issues wu entry privatization investment climate reform we see. putin changing his. emphasis and direction on particular issues in a way which corresponds with a political shift. a shift that is most evident on the web russians have never been more active in politics blocs twitter facebook or something putin will have to

embrace if he wants to stay in touch yes to participate otherwise you'd be excluded and you would have the other russia which talks its own language and the president will talk his language leaving the question now that he's back can putin move forward. now i was at those opposition protests on sunday of course less than twenty four hours before vladimir putin was inaugurated i was the first time really it should be said that we saw any kind of that kind of violence this is been a very peaceful even really a festive movement it started as one for free and fair elections and have become more of an expression of anti putin sentiment but it is kind of the word on the street that that that moment that movement was was upset really yesterday by just a few really couple of hundred of the thousands of people that were there that really provoked the violence you know it's a nice i thought your report was very very good but i think it's also interesting

we have to always turn to our viewers is that these protests are motivating putin's base as well so this is what i mean about the political conversation here when there are protests people that support putin come out as well so it's that's the conversation that's the dialogue i was getting at. what so that's the that's exactly those going to say this so what's the biggest challenge he's got ahead of him now what's his biggest expectation. i think it depends on who you ask of course and i think peter will agree with me on that many people will say it's the opposition but then there's also people say well putin tarsus harshest critics will never be convinced of that even be considered a challenge really i think for any politician putin or anyone that is taking office now it's the challenge of finding a balance and being able to bring these people together russia is a tremendous country. there's so many different opinions now when the thing that has really changed is how involved russians are in politics you know i mean again you know looking at western media coverage of putin and the political environment

here he even talking about dialogue and democracy and protests is something so new and it's so awkward in the way they do that i look at a lot of the reports this morning and again i look at this and i think this is like europe ok a lot of people protesting people want change they want different leadership i think this is a very interesting phenomenon it's a normalization of russian politics to a great degree degree. that's right and i think a lot of people would would agree with you and i think the people at least certainly at yesterday's protest on sunday there was a lot of people who were standing back certainly where we were where our live position was and they were just witnessing what was happening so it's an interesting thing to watch you have the people who are really active in the protests and the people who almost come to the protests to see what will happen. in just a second now the record of course. across events in that side the kremlin alexi good to see you again. there wasn't it tell us what i'm the front of your

eyes were the highlights for you that well we just observed this rather short and there is seoul and ceremony of president bush's inauguration it took just less than about an hour for the whole process with almost three thousand guests inside here inside the crumb of the walls that this is just one of the holes where the process took place we saw. he was then still the president elect making his way towards the another hole where he was sworn in officially as russia's president now i believe we can listen to his speech which was only thirty three words long three words shorter than that of the american president. while i was listening to that speech and i was you say. coming in a minute. i do believe even though it's thirty three words. below

it's pretty officiously in your poem which is a deal that i see if you do that is i fulfill the duties of the president of the russian federation i swear to protect to guarantee their rights and freedoms. on our citizens. to assure and protect the constitution of the russian federation to protect you shall mind sea and independence. of our state here in the night and its territorial integrity and to serve its people faithfully. stupina with those in the spirit. of the russian federation. very good. we're back with you again alexei. yes as i was saying i guess when i'm really getting to the dinner table we expecting this dinner to start shortly we'll probably be here for the next couple of hours and probably be able to speak to some of the guests some the v.f.p. guess which included the former prime minister of italy. the former german

chancellor schroeder and even legendary actor former. governor of california arnold schwarzenegger certainly we're here to bring all the latest interviews of pictures as we get it you get to rub shoulders with anyone notable yourself you know it but lots of people in fact very interesting chatter i've been hearing on the ground supporting sportspeople artists different military military elite people just talking about the different things happening in their life in the in the life of russia and certainly it's just i won't have enough time on here to to tell you everything interesting which have been which i've managed to hear but certainly rubbing shoulders with so many v.i.p.'s he has been something over the exquisite experience that's for sure you know i think this is peter did you get a sense of deja vu or did you sense that something new is happening here with this inauguration because a lot of the same people that were at this inauguration the one passed in the one before that unfortunately i haven't had a chance to visit the previous two not durations in the kremlin but it's my first time to be honest but. technically it looked at all just almost the same i mean the

way putin was behaving it looked like she just knew everything which is going to happen and it's so well what will went also smoothly that. i had an impression that this is just another time that this is happening and a bit of a danger was here certainly i have to say lexi for a bit of television as it was there was one bit of season television professionals if we try to be this said of the cameras one bit just after the president had been sworn in with a camera flew around the crowd and then actually seem to manage to go in through the window and in through the door and there was polluted it was quite spectacular work out how that happens you can give the kremlin back so much as you mentioned it is certainly the t.v. coverage i mean the way cameras worked during the whole integration process was something amazing i mean the helicopter shots over moscow over empty cordoned off streets where the car was traveling through there's a summer something amazing and that shot you were talking about the one the camera literally flowing it's flying through the window this is something you of course

certainly the technologies are progressing and probably during the next integration six years time we'll see something even more crazy. as we do you know because people. talk about. good to get. the credit because we were diverted or i think there was so much but here in the studio of course all the talk. of course i think should be on the big day but let's not forget. we can call him prime minister the moment what you know we're going to have prime minister but yeah he's probably right minister designate. but it's really interesting to to to know what you think of his legacy because some people think that he installed some great modernization and change you know others they know well you know. he gets such a bad rap ok he started a conversation about reform and dealing with corruption that we didn't see before ok did a lot happen something like that is very very slow very politically sensitive ok

we're looking at very corrupt people you know one of the people who reasons people get very upset why don't they just arrest them all then you have a revolution in this country you can't do the. it's a very difficult to do that you have made yes absolutely you just read the papers there are trials all the time do they get the big fish they're next ok it's not going to be very easy fighting corruption is always very very hard it's a slow and takes more than one it takes it's a generational projects the way people feel about their society it's a lot of work. for the survival of russia depends on dealing with corruption that's the simple answer what about some of the changes that he brought into the paying attention. he's created for that is what is being a former lawyer that's not forget what was the first big decision he had to deal with south to set. in august two thousand and eight he showed himself to be a leader who was very proud of someone merely liked it and in the you know he had to take credit for it here but of course he had mr putin close by

a seasoned politician there's absolutely nothing wrong with that either so i think that you know we look at mr medvedev as a continuity figure and there's nothing wrong with that when you make a good progress. you know these two gentlemen know so much about how russia's own politics work and doesn't work but i think of course he will be ok he's a very very hard worker and their confidence tandem tandem ok what is going on over the course is did they get all will never go but did they go in the. years of the war to have them work out to the samarra which of course mr medvedev doesn't have to become prime minister if he doesn't want to he can walk away now slowing the wave of protests also that started this winter and we did see of outline a series of reforms an interesting political system right is that important it's a good absolutely important the next election cycle we'll see how it works out why it is why is the rigid laws with the political parties during the nine hundred ninety s. it was chaos i remember the one nine hundred ninety nine parliamentary election

absolutely chaotic the dirtiest election ever seen in my life and i've studied politics all my adult life ok that was cleaned up now. has the pendulum swung too far yes i think so i think it's time to come back a little bit to the center where all kinds of reforms in the electoral process really got to left we mustn't forget either the other big event or course. president but very diverse he was there and saw russia through the big crash two thousand and eight and we've seen he was there mr putin was there as prime minister that's why these two men are going to be around for a while longer p.y. different should. they have that legacy you could see could ring he is the one that should get the gold medal he's the one that saved the economy becoming but i hope so. ok what do you know i think he's going to stay in political life i don't know if you'll be part of the guy who doesn't like him so i don't know it's going to be a minister in his cabinet but he could work in the presidential administration that's what i was thinking to do you know anything about i love to show you my crystal

allegations but we don't know for sure anything can happen really to make political problem. that will see continuity with new wants i think that's going to be the catchwords and what about the reset the reset you know i mean i think that the united is going to be under so no i think the united states and russia have enough things in common to work on they're not going to disagree on syria they're going to disagree on libya eccentrics center as long as america wants to be the great hedge i'm on russia will be against it ok well it's gives us plenty to talk about. as well people of oh thanks ever so much sophie shevardnadze thanks ever so much what are you going to next program. i think it's in about a month there is a great show because i know already it's good stuff thank you pretty much agree with what you're doing your job the coverage that live coverage here on r.t. of president putin as he is now his inauguration my name's kevin owen thank you ever so much for being with us the news continues five minutes from now.

night fifty two meters. wait more than a thousand tons of. skin thickness thirty centimeters the guinness record. commemorating the battle of stalingrad. the motherland called. on our team.