Russian strong man, Vladimir Putin, tightened his grip on power, Sunday, by sweeping the country’s presidential election with an unprecedented 87.97% of the vote, the first official results showed on Sunday after polls closed.
Barring any odds, and with most of his antagonists either dead or in prison, the Russian President, a former KGB Chief, is set to become the longest-serving leader in over 200 years.
With another six years in the kitty, Putin will stay in power till 2030 and would have ample time and renewed vigour to prosecute his invasion of Ukraine.
Many believe the election was distorted, though Putin who was primed to win the vote still had three other candidates to contend with. But there was no contest as Putin swept the polls with a landslide.
Naturally, the result provoked sharp criticism from the West and other allies of Ukraine.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky slamed the vote and bashed Putin as a “dictator” who was “drunk from power”.
“There is no evil he will not commit to prolong his personal power,” Zelensky added in a message on social media.