With an overwhelming majority of votes, Vladimir Putin has secured another term as president of Russia. Early official results show that he received support from over 87% of the electorate, which is a record-breaking level of support. While the results have been met with some skepticism, Putin’s victory is still seen as a clear sign of his continued popularity in Russia.
With this decisive victory, Putin will remain president of Russia for another six years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of staging a “simulated election” in response to Putin’s landslide victory in Russia’s recent presidential election. Zelenskyy has been a vocal critic of Putin, and has accused him of authoritarianism and human rights violations. This statement by Zelenskyy highlights the strained relationship between the two leaders and the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
“It is clear to everyone in the world that this figure, as it has already often happened in the course of history, is simply sick for power and is doing everything to rule forever,” he said in a statement.
“There is no legitimacy in this imitation of elections, and there cannot be. This person should be on trial in The Hague. That’s what we have to ensure.”
Shortly after, a spokesperson for the White House said the victory is an indicator that “elections are obviously not free nor fair” given how the leader has “imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him”.
A statement released by the UK Foreign Office on X (formerly Twitter), said: “By illegally holding elections on Ukrainian territory, Russia demonstrates that it is not interested in finding a path to peace.”
It said the UK will “continue to provide humanitarian, economic and military aid to Ukrainians defending their democracy”.