Putin Takes Oath as Russia’s Elected Leader

Vladimir V. Putin, a former KGB officer and Soviet spy, was sworn in to office Sunday as Russia’s second president in a gilded Kremlin hall that was once the throne room of the czars.

With his right hand resting on Russia’s constitution and former President Boris N. Yeltsin standing nearby, Putin took the oath of office in a solemn ceremony designed to emphasize the peaceful transfer of power from Yeltsin to his chosen successor.

“For the first time in the history of our state--in the whole of Russian history--the supreme authority is transferred in the most democratic way, in the most simple way, according to the will of the people, lawfully and peacefully,” Putin said in a brief inaugural address that was televised, along with the rest of the ceremony, throughout the nation. “We proved that Russia is becoming a truly modern democratic state.”

Yeltsin, who has rarely appeared in public since he stepped down New Year’s Eve, carried out his final duty and gave the proceedings legitimacy as a constitutional succession--the first since Russia became independent in 1991.

The often-ailing Yeltsin, seeming sad and somewhat out of place, delivered the only other speech of the ceremony and praised Russia--and himself--for not sliding into dictatorship during the 8 1/2 years since the Soviet Union collapsed.

“We can be proud that this is taking place without coups d’etat, putsches or revolutions,” he said. “It is taking place peacefully, respectfully and with dignity. This is possible only in a free country, which has stopped fearing not only others but itself too, its own power, having freed its own citizens and given them liberty.”

In a day heavy with symbolism, Yeltsin gave Putin a gold medallion and chain representing presidential authority--although he apparently flubbed his role by leaving it on a table and not placing it around Putin’s neck. He also stumbled several times during his speech, reminding the audience why he could no longer effectively serve as president.

Shortly after Putin was sworn in, the pair walked outdoors to the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square and stood side by side as they watched a military parade staged for the occasion. Later, they attended a service where Patriarch Alexi II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, pledged the church’s support for Putin in reviving the Fatherland.

Putin also accepted the resignation of his Cabinet--as required by the constitution--and of controversial Chief of Staff Alexander S. Voloshin, widely believed to be the main link to the wealthy oligarchs who wield great influence at the Kremlin. Putin is expected to reappoint Voloshin and most of the ministers.

Hours after his inauguration, Putin signaled his intention not to make major policy changes when he named Mikhail M. Kasyanov acting prime minister. Kasyanov, a financial specialist who has served as Putin’s first deputy prime minister, is widely expected to become prime minister. Putin has until May 21 to name his Cabinet.

“The construction of a democratic state is far from being completed,” Putin said in his inaugural speech. “But much has been done. We have to cherish the achievements, preserve and develop democracy. We must make the popularly elected authority work for the interests of the people, protect the Russian citizen everywhere--inside the country and outside it--and serve the society.”

All the talk of democracy Sunday seemed intended as much for a Western audience as for a domestic one. Putin won the presidency in a special election March 26, but the balloting bore a strong resemblance to the Soviet-era ratification of a chosen leader.

Yeltsin handed Putin a huge advantage over his rivals by stepping down Dec. 31, activating a constitutional requirement that an election be held within 90 days. At the end of the year, Putin was riding high in the polls, and no other candidate was in a position to mount a strong campaign against him.

Putin’s rise in popularity over the past eight months, since Yeltsin named him prime minister last August, has stemmed largely from his leadership of Russia’s war in Chechnya. The brutal campaign in the separatist republic has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and sparked widespread criticism of the Russian military for its alleged atrocities and human rights violations.

“Formally, Western society may see the inauguration as the triumph of Russian democracy, but they need to be reminded of the dark side of it,” said Andrei A. Piontkovsky, director of the Moscow-based Independent Institute for Strategic Studies. “Yeltsin’s presidential staff had to begin this war, which became a powerful instrument of the campaign which helped brainwash the public.”

Putin rose from obscurity as a career KGB officer and mayoral aide in St. Petersburg to become head of the domestic security service under Yeltsin and, eventually, his last prime minister.

A soft-spoken black belt in judo who enjoys riding in fighter jets and nuclear submarines, Putin is an ardent patriot whose grandfather served as a cook for Josef Stalin and whose father was a Communist Party cell leader.

A talented student as a youngster, Putin obtained a law degree from Leningrad State University, now the University of St. Petersburg, in 1975 and immediately joined the KGB. In the late 1980s, he served five years as a spy in East Germany, returning to Russia when the Soviet Union lost its hold over Eastern Europe.

He remained a KGB agent when he took a top job in the city government of St. Petersburg but resigned after hard-line Communist officials staged an unsuccessful coup to oust Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev in 1991. Gorbachev was among the more than 1,000 guests who attended Sunday’s inauguration.

Putin moved to the Kremlin in 1996, rising to become head of the FSB, the KGB’s main successor agency, and the chief of Yeltsin’s Security Council. When Yeltsin designated him as his preferred successor in August, few believed that the little-known, uncharismatic Putin could ever win widespread support.

His sudden popularity after the start of the Chechen war allowed him to campaign successfully without ever having to reveal what he stood for or what measures he would take as president. As a result, some fear he will impose a police state, while others maintain he will Westernize the economy.

While serving as acting president for four months, Putin proved that he is more effective than Yeltsin, at least in his dealings with parliament. Last month, he won approval of the long-stalled START II nuclear weapons reduction treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. The passage of START II laid the foundation for President Clinton to visit Moscow early next month for the first summit meeting between the two presidents.

“I think Putin is not a man who is ready to perform a revolution,” said Liliya F. Shevtsova, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center. “I think his main goal will be the consolidation of power and society, but he hasn’t decided to what extent he is ready to preside over the radical transformation of the economy.

“That is why we can’t say in one word what kind of Russia we will have under Putin--whether it will be a democracy or a monarchy.”