President Vladimir Putin won in a record-breaking post-Soviet landslide during Russia’s election on Sunday, solidifying his already firm hold on power. Furthermore, this outcome demonstrated that Moscow was correct to defy the West and send soldiers into Ukraine.
Putin, a former lieutenant colonel in the KGB who came to power in 1999, made it plain that the outcome should serve as a warning to the West’s leaders. Furthermore, in peace or conflict, they will have to deal with a more powerful Russia for many years to come.
As a result, Putin, 71, will begin a new six-year term. If he finishes it, he will surpass Josef Stalin’s record of 200 years as Russia’s longest-serving leader.
According to an exit survey conducted by pollster Public Opinion Foundation (FOM), Putin received 87.8% of the vote. This marks the highest percentage attained by any candidate in Russia’s post-Soviet history. Putin was ranked 87% by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM). According to the initial official findings, the polls were correct. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries have declared that the vote was not free nor fair due to censorship and the imprisonment of political opponents.
Partial results indicated that ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky came in fourth. Transitioning forward, rookie Vladislav Davankov secured third place, while communist contender Nikolai Kharitonov claimed second with just under 4%.
In a victory address delivered in Moscow, Putin assured supporters that he would bolster the Russian military. Furthermore, he emphasized giving priority to finishing tasks related to what he described as Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
“We have many tasks ahead. But when we are consolidated – no matter who wants to intimidate us, suppress us – nobody has ever succeeded in history, they have not succeeded now, and they will not succeed ever in the future,” said Putin.
Cheerleaders yelled “Russia, Russia, Russia” when he finished his acceptance speech and “Putin, Putin, Putin” when he first stepped onto the stage.
At noon, thousands of opponents of Putin demonstrated against him at polling places both domestically and internationally. They were spurred on by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who passed away in an Arctic prison last month.
Putin told reporters that he thought Russia’s election was democratic. Furthermore, he stated that the protest against him, sparked by Navalny, had no bearing on the result of the vote.
In his initial remarks following Navalny’s death, he described Navalny’s loss as a “sad event.” Additionally, he affirmed that he had been prepared to carry out a prisoner swap including the opposition figure.
Putin criticized the American political and legal systems in response to a question about whether his reelection was democratically conducted by NBC, a US TV network.
“The whole world is laughing at what is happening (in the United States),” stated the politician. “This is just a disaster, not a democracy.”
“…Is it democratic to use administrative resources to attack one of the candidates for the presidency of the United States, using the judiciary among other things?” he asked, making an apparent reference to four criminal cases against Republican candidate Donald Trump.
The Russian election takes place a little more than two years after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, which set off the worst conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Since Ukraine has been attacking Russian oil refineries, shelling Russian areas, and attempting to breach Russian borders with proxy forces—a move that Putin threatened to punish—the three-day election has been clouded by war.
Putin stated that in order to stop such attacks in the future, Russia would have to establish a buffer zone inside Ukraine.
Putin’s reelection was inevitable due to his dominance over Russia and the lack of serious opponents. However, the former KGB operative sought to demonstrate that the Russian people overwhelmingly supported him.
When the polls closed at 1800 GMT, the national turnout was 74.22%, exceeding the 67.5% recorded in 2018, according to election officials.
The number of Russians who participated in the opposition marches, which were well guarded by tens of thousands of police and security personnel, was not independently calculated. Russia has 114 million voters.
At midday, Reuters journalists witnessed long lines of several hundred or perhaps thousands of people at polling places in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. As voters, particularly younger ones, began to arrive, the scenes unfolded before their eyes.
Even though there were few obvious indicators that set them apart from other voters, some claimed to be protesting.
Russia saw at least 74 arrests on Sunday, according to OVD-Info, a watchdog organization that tracks repression of opposition.
There have been sporadic protests over the past two days, with some Russians setting voting booths on fire or pouring green dye inside ballot boxes. Pictures of tampered ballots with anti-Putin inscriptions were shared by opponents.
However, with Navalny’s passing, the opposition has lost its most powerful leader. Other significant opposition members are either dead, imprisoned, or abroad.
Putin is portrayed by the West as a murderer and an authoritarian. Putin, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, intended to rule forever, and the vote was invalid.
Putin frames the conflict as a centuries-old struggle against a collapsing West. In his words, it degraded Russia by intruding upon its sphere of influence following the Cold War.
According to Western intelligence chiefs, Russia’s election represents a turning point for the West and the conflict in Ukraine.
Ahead of the presidential election in November, support for Ukraine is entangled with domestic American politics.
Despite Kyiv’s 2022 invasion recapture, Russian forces had advanced following the previous year’s futile Ukrainian counteroffensive.
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