Vladimir Putin thanked his compatriots for taking part in the so-called presidential election. He mentioned the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny for the first time.
Putin's victory in the three-day presidential election was considered a foregone conclusion from the start. Another term in office will allow Putin to rule until 2030, longer than any Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the 18th century. The 47-year-old Navalny was sentenced to decades in prison in Russia and died in a prison camp in northern Russia.