President Putin emphasizes stance on proceeding with military invasion overnight after sweeping election victory. President Putin announced on the 18th, one day after the election, that Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine.
In Russia's presidential election, which was held over three days until the 17th of this month, President Putin won by overwhelmingly over the other candidates with over 87% of the votes. The 18th marked 10 years since the Putin regime unilaterally annexed Crimean in March 2014, and a large rally was held on Red Square in the center of the capital Moscow.