Putin wins Russia election in landslide with record turnout, early results show

In the Russian presidential election held on March 17, Vladimir Putin claimed victory with an unprecedented 87.8% of the votes, making it the highest-ever result in Russia's post-Soviet history. The election was widely criticized by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other nations as neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of opposition politicians. Putin, who is 71 years old, is set to embark on a new six-year term. Putin has ruled Russia as president or prime minister since December 1999.