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People in front of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn

Photo: Beautiful Sports / Derix / IMAGO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied "any legitimacy" to the sham elections in Russia and the renewed success of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

“This election fraud has no legitimacy and cannot have any,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video address.

"This figure (Putin) must end up in the dock in The Hague - we must ensure that, everyone in the world who values ​​life and decency."

Putin has been faking another election these days.

"It is clear to everyone in the world that this figure, as so often in history, is simply obsessed with power and will do anything to rule for life," said Zelensky.

"There is no evil that he would not commit to prolong his personal power."

In the vote, which was accompanied by allegations of manipulation, the election commission awarded Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin almost 88 percent after counting the first ballot papers.

It is considered the best result ever awarded to him.

Voter turnout was reported at over 74 percent – ​​also a record.

It was the highest number in a Russian presidential election.

However, critics pointed out that it was only achieved through repression and coercion.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will not, as usual, congratulate Russian President Vladimir Putin on his further term in office.

"There will be no letter to Putin," said Steinmeier's spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin when asked by the Berlin "Tagesspiegel".

Steinmeier had previously released a statement in which he said that on election day he was thinking "of the people in Russia who are fighting for freedom and democracy and who live in constant danger from Putin's regime."

In 2018, Steinmeier congratulated Putin on his re-election.

In a letter to Putin at the time, Steinmeier expressed the hope that he would use his fourth term in office to "counter the alienation on our continent and between the people in Russia and Germany."

The team of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who died in Russian custody, also criticized the results.

“The percentages invented for Putin clearly have nothing to do with reality,” explained Leonid Volkov on Sunday on the Telegram online service.

Volkov was one of Navalny's closest confidants and, among other things, former chief of staff.

Putin's victory in the three-day election was considered a foregone conclusion from the start.

Three insignificant candidates ran against him.

All of the Kremlin leader's best-known critics are either dead, imprisoned or in exile.

The vote was criticized from Poland as “not legal”.

"Russia's presidential election is not legal, free and fair," said the Foreign Ministry.

The election was held “under severe repression” and in occupied parts of Ukraine in violation of international law.

Observers classified the vote as undemocratic because no real opposition candidates were allowed.

In addition, there is no freedom of assembly in Russia; the Kremlin-controlled media is in line.

Independent media are politically persecuted.

Not only were Putin's three competitors all aligned with the Kremlin, but they were also considered to have no chance at all from the start.

After the polls closed, according to the first results, less than four percent of the vote was awarded to the communist Nikolai Kharitonov;

Vladislav Davankov from the liberal New People party was also below four percent;

the ultranationalist Leonid Slutsky achieved around three percent.

lpz/AFP/dpa