Vladimir Putin was destined to secure his fifth presidential term in a landslide victory, given that the other three candidates were essentially approved by the Kremlin.

However, when election officials announced that he had garnered over 87% of the votes, Putin asserted that Russia's democratic process was more transparent than many Western counterparts.

In reality, credible opposition candidates were not permitted to participate.

Despite this, supporters of the late Putin critic Alexei Navalny organized symbolic protests under the banner of "Noon against Putin." This led to sizable turnout at polling stations in Russian cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as outside numerous embassies abroad. Nonetheless, these protests were unlikely to affect the outcome.

Reports from the monitoring group OVD-Info indicated that at least 80 Russians were arrested, although there were no reports of the sporadic attacks on polling stations that occurred earlier.

Many Western nations criticized the election, denouncing it as neither free nor fair.

Germany labeled it a "pseudo-election" held under an authoritarian regime that relies on censorship, repression, and violence.

The UK Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, condemned what he described as "the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said "the Russian dictator is simulating another election".

In the words of Navalny ally Leonid Volkov, savagely beaten with a meat hammer in exile in Lithuania last week: "The percentages drawn for Putin have, of course, not the slightest relation to reality."

Russians had three days to vote and people in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine had even longer, in an attempt to persuade residents to take part.

One election commission official was reported killed in the occupied town of Berdyansk on Sunday and residents spoke of pro-Russian collaborators going from home to home with ballot boxes accompanied by armed soldiers.

But on Russia's carefully controlled state TV channels the result was hailed as a triumph.

"This is an incredible level of support and unity around the figure of Vladimir Putin," said one correspondent excitedly, "and a signal to Western countries".

President Putin was more subdued as he took questions from reporters, but he did hail Russia's presidential campaign as far more advanced than the US, citing Russia's use of online voting, which officials said brought in eight million voters.

Mr Putin had earlier been filmed performing a single keystroke to exercise his democratic right.

"It's transparent and absolutely objective," he suggested, "not like in the US with mail-in voting... you can buy a vote for $10".

Independent watchdog Golos was barred from observing the vote but reports of irregularities have emerged, as well as pressure on public sector employees to vote either in polling stations or online.

President Putin praised opposition campaigners for encouraging voters to turn out in greater numbers, although he condemned those who spoilt their ballots and said action would be taken against them.

For the first time he referred to Alexei Navalny by name, a month after his most vocal critic died in a penal colony inside the Arctic Circle.

In a remark possibly aimed at rebutting widespread allegations that he had Navalny killed, Mr Putin confirmed reports that he had explored exchanging him for prisoners held in the West, but on the condition that his rival never returned.

"I said I'm for it but, unfortunately, what happened happened. What can you do? That's life."

Yulia Navalnaya described queuing for six hours outside the Russian embassy in Berlin as part of the protest vote campaign. She said she had written her late husband's name on her ballot paper, and praised everyone who turned up, for giving her "hope that everything is not in vain".

One protest voter in London said she had queued for more than seven hours before casting her ballot.

Hmm

It is well

Ok

Noted

Hmm Mr Putin i wish all the best.