Russia's "election" is over - according to state media, Putin is expected to get almost 88 percent. Voter turnout was reported at over 74 percent – also a record.
Observers described the vote as undemocratic because no real opposition candidates were allowed. Dissenters who criticize Putin's war against Ukraine or the power apparatus risk punishment and even imprisonment, they say.. Many Russians fear a new mobilization of hundreds of thousands of reservists. Domestically, the thumbscrews in the country could also be tightened significantly.