Vladimir Putin has secured another term in office after a tumultuous election that has widely been disregarded as a sham, initial results reportedly show.
Early exit polls show the Kremlin leader has won 88 per cent of the vote, returning him to power for a fifth term, according to projections published by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). Its figures show that at least 73.33 per cent of Russians voted in the presidential elections. That eclipses the final voter turnout in 2018 by nearly 5 per cent. If the exit polls hold, Putin's victory margin will be his highest so far, besting his previous highest in four previous elections - 76.7% in 2018.
His nearest rival according to the polling organisation was communist candidate Nikolay Kharitonov, 75, who won around 4 per cent of the vote. The two other candidates Vladislav Davankov, 40, and Leonid Slutsky, 56, scored 4.2 per cent and three per cent, respectively. Despite their different political perspectives, all three main opponents broadly back the Kremlin's policies.
The final votes are currently being cast in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which is an hour behind Moscow. Early reports suggest that in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine - where the election is illegal and are being held after the Russian military invaded in 2022- Putin won 95.23 per cent of the vote, early polls show. In neighbouring Luhansk region, he won 95 per cent.
The three-day election that began on Friday has taken place in a tightly controlled environment where there are no real alternatives to Mr Putin, no public criticism of him or his war in Ukraine.
His fiercest critic, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile. Mr Navalny's associates had urged those unhappy with Mr Putin or the war to protest by coming to the polls at noon on Sunday - a strategy endorsed by the opposition leader shortly before his death.
Yulia Navalnaya, his wife, claimed she wrote the name of her 'murdered' husband on her ballot while voting in the Russian presidential election in Berlin this afternoon. Team Navalny described the poll protest as a success, releasing pictures and videos of people crowding near polling stations in cities across Russia around noon.
Earlier today, Yulia Navalny was cheered as she joined an anti-Putin protest before casting her ballot. The demonstrations came as Ukraine began to fight back against its forces in a new wave of attacks using drones to attack its forces.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that it took down more than 40 Ukrainian drones overnight and on Sunday, including four near the Russian capital.
The local governor of Russia's Belgorod region said that Ukrainian shelling on Sunday killed a man and a 16-year-old girl, and wounded at least 12 other people. The governor also said two people died during attacks the previous day. The Defence Ministry said it took down more than 100 Ukrainian drones and missiles across the whole weekend.
Mr Putin previously described the attacks as an attempt by Ukraine to frighten residents and derail Russia's presidential election, saying they "won't be left unpunished." Russia's wartime economy has proven resilient, expanding despite bruising Western sanctions. The Russian defence industry has served as a key growth engine, working around the clock to churn out missiles, tanks and ammunition.
The legitimacy of the election was always going to be in doubt, as have all which have come since Putin ascended to power. Today, yesterday and on Friday there have been numerous reports of election interference. Russians were searched at polling stations, their ballots checked before they were cast, and police demanded a ballot box was opened to remove a ballot, according to social media posts.
Following the exit poll result the only other politician to serve as Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, said: “I congratulate Vladimir Putin on his brilliant victory in the Russian presidential election.” Officials said the turnout among the armed forces was 99.8 per cent - despite the ongoing war against Ukraine.
One of the autocrat’s election rivals, Davankov said: “Putin’s victory in the presidential elections of the Russian Federation is undoubted.” The opposition politician had attracted some liberal and anti-war support, but was widely seen as a Kremlin-approved candidate to make up the numbers and not a real challenger.
Belarus - run by fellow-dictator Alexander Lukashenko - was the first foreign country to congratulate Putin on results.
“International observers have not recorded any facts calling into question the legitimacy of the presidential elections in the Russian Federation,” said the foreign ministry in Minsk.
Dmitry Sergienko, who cast his ballot in Moscow, said he voted for Mr Putin: "I am happy with everything and want everything to continue as it is now." Another Moscow voter, who identified himself only by his first name Vadim, said he hopes for change, but added: "Unfortunately, it's unlikely."
Despite the seeming hopelessness of anything but a huge Putin victory and the high likelihood they will face legal consequences for doing so, some Russians have protested against the election. Ivan Zhdanov, the head of Mr Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said in a YouTube broadcast of the polling station protests: "The action has achieved its goals. The action has shown that there is another Russia, there are people who stand against Putin."
A woman was arrested in St Petersburg after she threw a firebomb at a polling station entrance, and several others were detained across the country for throwing green antiseptic or ink into ballot boxes.
Some Russian media also posted images of spoiled ballots posted by voters, with "killer and thief" inscribed on one, and "waiting for you in The Hague" written on another, in reference to an arrest warrant issued for Mr Putin on war crimes charges related to his alleged responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.