May 11, 2024

Vlad the Long-Lived?


Vlad the Long-Lived?
Patriarch Kirill and President Putin at a prayer service in Blagoveshchensky Cathedral, in the Kremlin. Alexei Maishev, Kremlin.ru

Patriarch Kirill wished for President Vladimir Putin to remain president until the end of time, or perhaps just until the end of the century – at which point Putin would be 147.

The statement came after Putin's inauguration to his fifth (!) term as Russian President on May 7. Putin has been in power 24 years, the longest serving Russian leader since Stalin, who led the country for 30 years. 

Putin took his oath of office on the 2020 Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Kirill's statement was actually a colloquialism. “<…> Until the end of time ["До скончания века"], as we say. I will boldly say – God forbid that the end of the century means the end of your stay in power. You have everything to perform this great service to your homeland for a long time and successfully,” the patriarch said.

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