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Vladimir Putin is celebrating his victory in the Russian presidential elections the only way he knows how: by warning World War 3 is ‘possible’.
Putin, 71, is leading a presidential election where opposition was basically banned, having received 87.1% of votes with 80% of ballots counted so far, state media reported.
This all but cements Putin’s rule over Russia for another six years and makes him the longest-serving ruler since Joseph Stalin.
Speaking from his campaign headquarters at a news conference, Putin said: ‘I dreamed of a strong and independent Russia. I hope the election results will allow us to achieve this.’
The now five-term president thanked Russian soldiers for ‘defending’ Russia against Ukraine, saying his country will be ‘stronger and more effective’.
A reporter asked Putin about his thoughts on French president Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion Western soldiers may be deployed into Ukraine.
‘I think anything is possible in today’s world and it’s clear to everyone that this would be one step from a full-scale World War 3,’ Putin answered.
After the death of his harshest critic in an Artic prison, Aleksei Navalny, none of his other competitors posed much of a threat.
The Kremlin had also outlawed all criticism of Putin or his war. As much as this would have made campaigning a bit difficult for opposition candidates, the Kremlin blocked them from running anyway.
Putin broke his silence about the death of his political foe, claiming he had been ready to release Navalny in exchange for Russian prisoners held in the West.
‘Just with one condition, “We’ll trade him but make sure that he doesn’t come back, let him stay over there”,’ he told reporters.
‘As for Mr Navalny, yes, he passed away. This is an unfortunate incident,’ Putin said, adding: ‘But this happens. That’s life.’
By this evening turnout was more than 70%, according to the Central Election Commission, though this excludes the 4.3 million who voted online.
Nikolai Kharitonov, of the Communist Party who badly lost to Putin in 2004, gained 4.22% of the votes.
Vladislav Davankov, of the New People Party who has long called for ‘peace’ in Ukraine while always agreeing more or less with the Kremlin leader, bagged 4.04% of the votes.
Fourth was Leonid Slutsky, a Putin loyalist of the Liberal Democratic Party, who asked his supporters to vote for Putin anyway. He shored up a sizeable (by Russian election standards, at least) 3.16%.
Not many people will be surprised that the election, which began Friday and will last until the booths close 9pm local time in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region, will end this way.
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But opposition leaders certainly tried their best. The ‘Noon Against Putin’ saw Navalny allies urge Russians to swarm polling places in a symbolic protest.
Long lines quickly formed outside polling stations, including Moscow and St Petersburg.
Expats in England also joined in. Thousands gathered outside the Russian embassy in London to vote today, with Metro.co.uk seeing examples of spoiled ballots that include, among other things, doodles of phalluses.
If the final vote share is indeed in the high 80s, this is higher than the 77% that saw Putin cruise back into power in 2018.
Putin, who was first appointed successor to President Boris Yeltsin in 2000, has long said he’ll stay in power for as long as Russia’s constitution allows him to.
‘This is not good and it is detrimental for the country and I do not need it either,’ he said in 2014 when asked if he wanted to be president forever.
‘We will see what the situation will be like, but in any case, the term of my work is restricted by the Constitution.’
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