This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin awarding servicemen with Heroes of Russia Gold Star medals on the eve of the Heroes of the Fatherland Day at the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on December 8, 2023. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to run in presidential elections next March, news agencies reported on December 8, 2023, allowing the Kremlin leader to extend his decades-long grip on power. Putin told Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, a Russian military officer, about his decision to participate in the upcoming vote following an awards ceremony for army personnel at the Kremlin, state-run news agencies reported. (Photo by Sergey GUNEYEV / POOL / AFP)