The former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi and ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev were among 3,000 specially invited guests attending Vladimir Putin's inauguration as Russian president today.

Berlusconi was one of Putin's closest European allies before falling from power last year and has already congratulated the Russian strongman on a private visit at a Russian ski resort after his March 4 election victory.

While in power, he came to Russia not just for diplomatic business but to celebrate his friend's birthday and other personal visits and clearly shares Putin's penchant for a macho lifestyle.

Among the other high-profile guests who packed the Big Kremlin Palace were the widow of Russia's first post-Soviet president Boris Yeltsin, Naina, and billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov who unsuccessfully challenged the Russian strongman in the polls.

Gorbachev was also among the most prominent guests, who by tradition did not include any serving foreign heads of state.

As Putin took the oath of office, the guests froze in reverential silence. They later sought to outdo one another as they congratulated him on his historic comeback and tried to shake his hand.

"Thank you," Putin mouthed to his guests at the opulent Kremlin halls as soldiers carried out gun salutes outside.

Accompanied by his predecessor Dmitry Medvedev, Putin exited the Kremlin where he was shown briefly chatting with his wife Lyudmila who is rarely seen in public. He also kissed Medvedev's wife Svetlana and Yeltsin's widow Naina.

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