We covered President Vladimir Putin’s fifth inauguration.
The ceremony took place at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, and correspondent Ivor Bennett was also there to experience the entire event.
He also interviewed Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov about the current state of democracy in Russia and the lack of opposition in March’s presidential elections.
Bennett asked Peskov: “Western leaders and Western governments believe that President Vladimir Putin has turned Russia into an authoritarian state. Why do you think this is not the case?”
Peskov said: “That’s not true.
“It’s just propaganda, wild propaganda and nothing else.”
He went on to say that Russia is “purely democratic,” adding: “We choose power. We choose power. We choose a president. We either vote for the president, or we don’t want to vote for the president.” he added.
“And we insist that we have the right to do it the way we want to do it.
“And we don’t want third countries to interfere with our choices and preferences.”
Asked whether it was democratic that there was no opposition to President Vladimir Putin in Russia, Peskov said: “But there are opponents inside Russia. Of course, we are at war here, so the situation is much more “It’s tough,” he said.
Peskov used the word “war” twice in the interview. The Kremlin normally refers to the invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation,” but he used that term even once.
Ivor Bennett then asked whether it was even more important for people to have a voice during wartime.
Peskov replied: “No, on the contrary. To ensure victory and ensure the achievement of our goals, we need stricter measures.”
When asked if this was democratic, Peskov insisted: “It is, yes.”
He added that Western media in Europe and the United States were in “the same situation.”