Eko Hot Blog reports that in a defiant victory speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed that Russia “cannot be intimidated” as he hailed his re-election triumph that paves the way for him to potentially become the longest-serving leader in over 200 years.
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“I want to thank all of you and all citizens of the country for your support and this trust,” Putin declared early Monday morning at a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow, hours after polls closed.
The 71-year-old former spy, whose major opponents are either dead, imprisoned or exiled, has overseen a relentless crackdown on anyone publicly opposing his rule or his military offensive in Ukraine.
Addressing that crackdown, Putin stated defiantly, “No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness — no one has ever succeeded in anything like this in history. It has not worked now and will not work in the future. Never.”
With over 80% of voting stations reporting, Putin secured an overwhelming 87.2% of votes cast, according to official data. This marks a record victory in a presidential election where he faced no genuine competition.
The three-day election was marred by a surge in deadly Ukrainian bombardments inside Russia, incursions into Russian territory by pro-Kyiv sabotage groups, and vandalism at some polling stations.
The Kremlin had framed the election as a pivotal moment for Russians to lend their support to the full-scale military operation in Ukraine, where voting also took place in Russian-occupied territories.
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Putin’s new term reinforces his firm grip on power and sets him up to potentially eclipse Josef Stalin to become modern Russia’s longest-serving leader.
The circumstances surrounding the election, including the suppression of opposition and disruptions from Ukraine’s military efforts, underscore the regime’s increasingly authoritarian control as the war grinds on.
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