The official ceremony began at 11am local time on May 7, in an atmosphere of general tension.
The oath was held in front of an audience of 3 000 persons, with the presence, among others, of Silvio Berlusconi and the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Dark suit, red tie, Putin has put his right hand on a special copy of the Russian Constitution and pronounced the 33 words of the oath.
The third oath on the constitution in the hall of St. Andrew came after the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.
