Vladimir Putin said Russia would not be “scared” as he hailed the election victory, which paved the way for the former spy to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years.
All of the 71-year-old's major rivals are dead, in jail or in exile, and he has cracked down hard on anyone who publicly opposes his rule or his military attack on Ukraine.
“I want to thank all of you and all citizens of the country for your support and this trust,” Putin said at a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow on Monday morning, hours after voting closed.
“No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness – no one in history has ever succeeded in this way It is not working now and will not work in the future. Never,'' he said.
Official election data shows that with more than 80 percent of polling stations having submitted results, Putin received 87.2 percent of the total votes cast – a record victory in a presidential election where he faced no real competition.
The three-day election was marred by deadly Ukrainian bombings, incursions into Russian territory by pro-Kyiv subversion groups and increased vandalism at polling stations.
The Kremlin had cast the election as an opportunity for Russians to throw their support behind a full-scale military campaign in Ukraine, where Russian-controlled areas are also voting.