Putin's inauguration on Monday will be low-key, reportedly to avoid 2012's awkward motorcade

Vladimir Putin’s inauguration ceremony on May 7 will be a simpler, lower-key affair than his past inaugurations, sources tell the television station Dozhd. This time, there won’t be a presidential motorcade through Moscow, avoiding the awkward footage of 2012, when Putin drove through the capital’s almost totally empty streets.

For his inauguration on Monday, the president will stay within the Kremlin’s grounds, leaving his office and driving to the Grand Kremlin Palace, where he’ll take the oath of office at Andreyevsky Hall. The 2018 inauguration will involve one new feature: after swearing the oath, Putin will step outside to meet briefly with volunteers who worked on his presidential campaign. The Kremlin previously entertained the possibility of holding the entire inauguration ceremony outdoors.