Crossword Genius

Installed as president of Russia (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

putin

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'president of russia' is the definition.
'putin' can be an answer for 'president' (Russian president Vladimir Putin). I am not certain of the 'of russia' bit.

'installed as' is the wordplay.
'installed' becomes 'put' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'as' becomes 'in' (I've seen this in other clues).
'put'+'in'='PUTIN'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for putin that I've seen before include "Introduce" , "Russian leader" , "powerful leader" , "Russian president" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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