Russian leader sworn in, Putin at his side

MOSCOW — Dmitry Medvedev, a corporate lawyer tapped and groomed for the Kremlin by Vladimir Putin, was sworn in as president Wednesday under the watchful gaze of his mentor and predecessor.

As soon as the ceremony was over, just as they had planned for months, Medvedev nominated Putin for prime minister.

"Now it is extremely important that we together continue the course of the country, which has already justified itself," Putin told 2,000 dignitaries.

He also hinted that he regards his policies and plans as shaping Russia for decades to come, noting: "We are already formulating goals not for one or two months, but for 20 and 30 years ahead."

Medvedev, speaking after his longtime boss, talked of the need for rule of law and decried the corruption that has plagued Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

In recent months, Medvedev has been a steady presence at Putin's side, following his fellow St. Petersburg native during state visits and key meetings. In one public appearance after another, both men hammered the theme of continuity.

During his rule, Putin guided Russia through years of growing wealth and influence, as skyrocketing oil prices filled the nation's coffers for the first time since Soviet days.

Putin's admirers credit him with ushering in a new era of political stability to a weakened and traumatized country, suppressing the raucous politics that defined Russia in the 1990s — many say at the cost of democracy.

When the brief swearing-in was finished, Putin and Medvedev watched stone-faced as uniformed companies of the Kremlin regiment streamed past, medals and gold braid flashing, goose-stepping or trotting on horseback.

State television cameras lingered on Putin, then on Medvedev, then on both men as Putin leaned over and spoke into his prodigy's ear.