Russia presidential election: What to know as Putin to win after Navalny death, war in Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin‘s rule over Russia is set to be extended in an effectively uncontested election after the death of Alexei Navalny and amid the war in Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin‘s rule over Russia, set to be extended in an effectively uncontested election over the next few days, has never been more total — from the Arctic penal colony where the man who posed the greatest challenge to that rule died, to the field north of Moscow where a rebellious mercenary chief was killed in a fiery plane crash.
Putin will begin another six years in power with his domestic opponents either dead, jailed or exiled. His war in Ukraine has recast life at home and intensified a clash with the West now shadowed by the uncertainty of America’s own election. Russia’s military is advancing on the battlefield and its economy has shown surprising resilience in the face of global sanctions.
The victory orchestrated by the Kremlin, however, will bely signs of fragility behind that choreographed show.
Despite an atmosphere of repression not seen since the Soviet era, there have been sprouts of internal dissent and external attacks ahead of the election that have pierced the picture of unity and stability the Kremlin has cultivated.
“The results have been announced in advance,” said Nikolai Rybakov, chairman of Russia’s liberal political party Yabloko, which decided not to join the race this year. “It’s painful, unpleasant and shameful but you have to admit that you can’t influence the results right now,” he said in a phone interview from Moscow this week.
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