Vladimir Putin won another six-year term as Russian president‚ which will make him Russia’s longest-serving leader for more than 200 years if he completes the term. Putin won 87.8% of the vote‚ reportedly the highest-ever in Russia’s post-Soviet history. The election victory keeps Putin in power for the remainder of the decade. WATCH: Vladimir Putin addresses Russian citizens and thanks them for their votes as he is expected to win this year’s presidential election‚ with reportedly nearly 90% of the votehttps://t.co/Rh9Sau1Jmx pic.twitter.com/I9e18KvoUS — RT (@RT_com) March 17‚ 2024 Western nations‚ including the United States‚ claimed the Russian election was “neither free nor fair.” Germany called it a “pseudo-election‚” while the United States said the vote was “obviously not free nor fair.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin was “drunk with power and is doing everything to rule forever.” Reuters reports: The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87%. First official results indicated the polls were accurate. The United States‚ Germany‚ the United Kingdom and other nations have said the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship. Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov finished second with just under 4%‚ newcomer Vladislav Davankov third‚ and ultra-nationalist Leonid Slutsky fourth‚ partial results suggested. Putin told supporters in a victory speech in Moscow that he would prioritise resolving tasks associated with what he called Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine and would strengthen the Russian military. “We have many tasks ahead. But when we are consolidated – no matter who wants to intimidate us‚ suppress us – nobody has ever succeeded in history‚ they have not succeeded now‚ and they will not succeed ever in the future‚” said Putin. “Putin holds election during largest armed conflict since World War II and wins 87% with high turnout. The West denounces this as tyranny. Zelensky cancels the elections‚ imprisons his political opposition‚ and ships his leading rival to the UK. The West calls Ukraine a model democracy and sends it tens of billions of dollars. Keep that in mind as you read coverage of the Russian election in Western mainstream media‚” Sputnik commented. Putin holds election during largest armed conflict since World War II and wins 87% with high turnout. The West denounces this as tyranny. Zelensky cancels the elections‚ imprisons his political opposition‚ and ships his leading rival to the UK. The West calls Ukraine a model… pic.twitter.com/fHM0pKMs4E — Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 18‚ 2024 From the New York Post: But the Russian president was not without his detractors‚ with foes caught on tape destroying and sabotaging ballot boxes in opposition to a victory that many considered fixed from the start. A compilation video of the early days of voting‚ uploaded by the Russian-language outlet Medusa‚ shows several incidents where protesters set fire to ballot boxes and polling sites across the nation. One 21-year-old woman threw a Molotov cocktail onto the porch of a polling site in St. Petersburg‚ according to Medusa. Russian Central Election Commission Deputy Chair Nikolai Bulaev confirmed incidents in the Rostov and Karachay-Cherkessia regions where protesters also poured ink into ballot boxes. Officials in Moscow and Voronezh said protesters flooded the ballot boxes there with ink‚ too. The Kremlin claimed the stunts were spearheaded by Ukraine‚ which Russia invaded two years ago and is still trying to conquer. Putin reportedly said during a news conference that Russia’s election was “transparent and absolutely objective‚ not like in the U.S. with mail-in voting.” Per Axios: Putin won 15‚759‚224 votes — 87.97% of all votes cast‚ said Central Electoral Commission chief Ella Pamfilova on Russian state TV in announcing initial official results‚ beating his 2018 vote share record. State-run exit polls predicted he had won 87% of ballots to be elected for a fifth term. Nationwide turnout was 74.22% — the biggest in history‚ Russian officials proclaimed.