Ukraine says Putin aims to rule Russia ‘forever’ after extending 24 years in power

The Kremlin claimed that Vladimir Putin’s landslide presidential victory proved that Russians have united around him and his policies, after a tightly controlled vote that was denounced as a sham by western capitals and Kyiv, but praised by China.

Election officials said Mr Putin won with 87 per cent of the vote in a ballot that was closed to all genuine opposition candidates and included opaque electronic voting in many regions and polling in occupied areas of Ukraine. Mr Putin’s tally and official turnout of more than 77 per cent were the highest such figures in Russia’s post-Soviet history.

“It is a truly unique result for the current president,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

“The level of popular support is an absolute victory as a candidate and, of course, the most eloquent confirmation of the support of the people of our country for their president and their consolidation around his path.”

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Mr Putin has crushed Russia’s opposition, free media and civil society during 24 years in power, and the crackdown has become more brutal in the two years since he launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine that has now killed and injured hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians and displaced millions of Ukrainians.

“The presidential elections in Russia took place in a highly restricted environment, with voters deprived of a real choice and systematic internal repression. We condemn the illegal holding of so-called elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories,” said Josep Borrell, the European Union’s chief foreign policy official.

German minister for foreign affairs Annalena Baerbock dismissed “an election without choice” and France’s foreign ministry condemned voting held in occupied Ukraine and said Paris would “never recognise ... these so-called elections”.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Mr Putin (71) was “addicted to power and is doing everything he can to rule forever. There is no evil he will not commit to prolong his personal power”.

“These Russian elections starkly underline the depth of repression under president [Vladimir] Putin’s regime, which seeks to silence any opposition to his illegal war,” said British foreign secretary David Cameron.

In Washington, a White House national security council spokesman said the elections “are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him”.

Western sanctions on Russia have prompted it to switch much of its trade to China, India and other Asian countries, and Moscow has sought to convince countries of the so-called global south that its invasion of Ukraine is actually a defensive move to fend off a “colonialist” West led by an aggressive United States.

“Your re-election is a full demonstration of the support of the Russian people for you ... I believe that under your leadership, Russia will certainly be able to achieve greater achievements in national development and construction,” said Chinese president Xi Jinping.

“China attaches great importance to the development of China-Russia relations.”

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said he looked forward to deepening his country’s “time-tested special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia.

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