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Moscow:
President Vladimir Putin hailed the “return” to Russia of annexed Ukrainian territories on Monday at a live performance on Crimson Sq. after profitable an election blasted as illegitimate by Western powers.
The ex-spy gained over 87 p.c of the vote in a three-day poll which included voting in elements of Ukraine held by Russian forces.
Moscow has offered the weekend presidential election as proof that Russians have rallied round Putin greater than two years into the Ukraine offensive.
Putin’s victory is extensively anticipated to additional tighten his grip on Russia, the place dissent is now not tolerated underneath fast-accelerating repression.
In energy for the reason that final day of 1999, he’s now on track to develop into the longest-serving Russian chief in additional than two centuries.
“Hand in hand, we are going to transfer ahead and this may make us stronger… Lengthy reside Russia!” Putin instructed the gang attending a pop live performance to mark 10 years since Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.
Putin boasted of a brand new rail hyperlink in areas of Ukraine captured by Russian forces, saying these areas had “declared their need to return to their native household”.
He appeared on the live performance alongside the three candidates who ran in opposition to him after internet hosting them at a Kremlin assembly by which all of them congratulated him.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Putin’s victory confirmed Russians have been consolidating “round his path”, calling it “an exceptionally excellent consequence”.
All the 71-year-old’s main opponents are lifeless, in jail or in exile and voting occurred a month after Putin’s most important challenger Alexei Navalny died in jail.
Authorities had referred to as on Russians to participate within the vote out of patriotic responsibility.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich is the inspiration of our nation,” stated Viktoria, 23, an IT employee at a state firm as she headed to the Crimson Sq. live performance.
Elena, a 64-year-old economist, stated she was not shocked by the consequence “as a result of I believe that any citizen who respects our nation voted for Putin”.
Poll spoilers to be ‘handled’
The three-day vote — additionally held in occupied Ukraine — was marred by spoiled ballots and Ukrainian bombardments.
Hundreds responded to the opposition’s name to protest the election by forming lengthy queues at polling stations — each inside and outdoors Russia.
Yulia Navalnaya — who has vowed to proceed her late husband Alexei’s work — queued with crowds in Berlin Sunday and stated she had written his title on her poll paper.
Moscow had warned Russians not to participate within the protests and on Monday dismissed the opposition.
“There are various individuals who… have fully damaged away from the motherland,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov instructed reporters.
“Yulia Navalnaya, whom you talked about, belongs to this group of people that lose their roots,” he added.
Moscow has often blasted the a whole bunch of hundreds of Russians who fled their nation within the aftermath of the Ukraine offensive as traitors.
Ballots have been additionally spoiled by inexperienced dye and there have been a number of incidents of voting cubicles being set on hearth.
Putin on Sunday warned that Russians who spoiled their ballots “need to be handled” and dismissed opposition protests as having “no impact”.
‘That is life’
Putin on Sunday additionally stated Navalny’s title for the primary time in public — breaking his years-long custom of by no means referring to his opponent by title.
It was the primary time he had commented on Navalny’s demise in jail on February sixteenth.
Putin stated that he had green-lighted an initiative for a prisoner swap together with Navalny for Russians held in Western jails — confirming allegations made by Navalny’s workforce.
“I agreed on one situation: for us to trade him and for him to not return,” Putin stated.
He stated Navalny died days later.
“However this occurs. There’s nothing that you are able to do about it. That is life.”
He didn’t say how Navalny died.
Navalny’s workforce alleges that he was killed on the eve of a prisoner swap.
Navalny is the most recent Putin opponent to die in mysterious circumstances.
West slams vote
The Kremlin stated Putin held cellphone calls together with his ex-Soviet allies in Central Asia, Belarus and Azerbaijan after the vote.
He additionally acquired congratulations from nations equivalent to China, North Korea, Venezuela and Myanmar, Russian state media stated.
However the consequence was met with scathing statements from Western leaders — in distinction with the earlier 4 elections Putin has gained since 2000.
“This election has been based mostly on repression and intimidation,” the EU’s international minister Josep Borrell stated.
The UK additionally slammed the vote as unfair.
“Putin removes his political opponents, controls the media, after which crowns himself the winner. This isn’t democracy,” Britain’s international minister David Cameron stated in an announcement.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky stated Putin was a “dictator” who wished to “rule eternally.”
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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