The election results in Russia on Sunday exhibited a record-breaking landslide for President Vladimir Putin, further solidifying his already firm grip on power in the post-Soviet era.
Putin said Moscow was right to send troops into Ukraine, and the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to deal with an emboldened Russia for many years to come, in war or peace.
Putin will begin a new six-year term, which, if successfully concluded, would surpass Josef Stalin and make him the longest-serving leader in Russian history, surpassing that of Stalin by more than two centuries.
The Public Opinion Foundation’s exit survey revealed that Putin received 87.8 percent of the vote. The initial official results demonstrated the accuracy of the polls.
Due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries have declared the election neither free nor fair.