Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will seek re-election in March 2024, state news agency TASS reported on Friday, December 8.

Putin made the announcement after a ceremony at the Kremlin, the official residence of the Russian president, TASS said, a move that could see him retain power until at least 2030.

Putin will bid for his fifth presidential term at the elections, set to take place on March 17, 2024, as he aims to solidify his hold on power as head of state or prime minister for more than two decades.

The upcoming elections will also mark the first time that residents of the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, annexed by Russia during the conflict, will participate in the presidential elections.