By Ben Aris in Berlin Russian President Vladimir Putin ended months of speculation and officially declared his intention to run for re-election in 2024 on December 8. Putin has held power since 2000 and will seek six more years in office after constitutional amendments in 2020 reset his term count. The Federation Council set the date of the election to March 17 next year only a day earlier. Putin made the announcement during an awards ceremony for military personnel at the Kremlin in a remark to Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, a Russian military officer. Zhoga quoted Putin as saying: ‘At the …