Vladimir Putin wins a fifth term as Russian president by a landslide of 87%, according to Russian exit polls.
Putin faced no credible opposition candidate as the Kremlin tightly controls Russia’s political system, media and elections.
Germany called it a “pseudo-election”, while the US said the vote was “obviously not free nor fair”.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky said Putin was “drunk with power and is doing everything to rule forever”.
In a post-election news conference, Valdimir Putin vowed to press on with the invasion of Ukraine.
He also said Russian democracy was more legitimate than in the US, where “with mail-in voting… you can buy a vote for $10”.
Voting took place in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. Overall, turnout was 77%.
