VLADIMIR Putin has announced he WILL run again for president in the 2024 elections that could see him kept in power until at least 2030.
The Russian tyrant is all but certain to be elected for a fifth time after over two brutal decades of his iron-fist rule.
Russian state media reported today that Putin, 71, finally made his move to extend his power for another six years.
Putin's current powers as head of state expire on May 7, 2024 with the next elections scheduled for March 17, 2024.
The ageing despot feels he must steer Russia through the most perilous period in decades, insider sources said.
Until now, there had been no official confirmation of Putin's plans to stand for re-election.
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The leader has twice used his leverage to amend the constitution and unless he is ousted or dies, he could theoretically stay in power until his mid-80s.
After being handed the presidency by Boris Yeltsin on the last day of 1999, Putin has already served as president for longer than any other Russian ruler since Josef Stalin.
The Kremlin chief still commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power, despite starting an immensely costly war in Ukraine that has taken thousands of young Russian's lives.
After defusing an armed mutiny by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group in June, Putin has moved to shore up support among his core base in the security forces and military, while Wagner has been brought firmly to heel.
Prigozhin meeting his end in a fiery plane crash in August only seemingly reinforced Putin's control.
About 80% of the populace approves of his performance, according to a recent independent poll.
However, Putin's cronies have viciously cracked down on any opposition to his rule and have made any mild criticism perilous.
The announcement came shortly after the Kremlin warned the threat of a nuclear world war hasn't been greater since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Former Russian president and close Putin confidante Dmitry Medvedev predicted “new rivers of blood will flow”.
He lambasted the Biden administration’s attempts to force the US congress to approve more military support for Ukraine.
Medvedev said: “Never since the Cuban Missile Crisis has the threat of a direct clash between Russia and Nato leading to the Third World War been so real.”
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