According to the state-funded All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VCIOM), Putin captured 87 percent of the vote, while the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) reported 87.8 percent in his favor. The sitting president had previously secured a record 76.6 percent of votes in the 2018 election.

VCIOM data shows communist Nikolai Kharitonov at 4.6 percent, Vladislav Davankov (New People) at 4.2 percent, and Leonid Slutsky (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) at 3 percent. According to FOM, Kharitonov received 4.7 percent, Davankov 3.6 percent, and Slutsky 2.5 percent.

A participation rate of 74.22 percent was reported at poll closing time, setting an absolute record in the history of Russian presidential elections. The 2018 election's turnout was only 67.5 percent.

Vasily Piskarev, chairman of a committee investigating foreign interference in the lower house of the Russian parliament, decried what he called traditional Western methods of election interference, now turning to tactics of intimidation. Gennady Askaldovich, deputy head of the election committee at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told TASS that "all unfriendly countries" are interfering in the Russian presidential election, led by the United States and Germany. He alleged that Berlin tried to disrupt the election process through civil organizations and media, questioning the campaign and its integrity.

Maria Zakharova, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, urged the British embassy in Moscow on Telegram to stop denying Russia's right to hold elections in Crimea and the "new regions," warning that otherwise, ambassador Nigel Casey might again be summoned to the Russian foreign ministry. She suggested that the United Kingdom should focus more on the international legal aspects of the Falkland Islands' status.

International Reactions Incoming

One of the first to comment on the preliminary data was Volodymyr Zelensky, who described the whole event as an electoral circus. The White House issued a statement asserting that the election was neither free nor fair.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs joined in the criticism, stating in a communique that the elections took place amid extreme repression against society, rendering them neither free nor democratic.

The UK Foreign Office stated that the elections, illegally held in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, demonstrate Moscow's lack of intention to make gestures towards peace. The UK will, as in recent years, continue to support Ukraine's struggle.

The German foreign ministry also reacted, maintaining that the pseudo-presidential election was neither free nor clean, and the final result surprised no one.

Final Day of Voting

The election concluded at 9 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Hungarian time) in Russia's westernmost point, Kaliningrad. Unlike Hungarian elections, Russians had three days to vote March 15th, 16th, and 17th, across the country's 11 time zones. Last pre-poll data already showed remarkably high participation. The CEC reported a turnout exceeding 70 percent. Six years ago, the rate was 67.54 percent, 65.34 percent in 2012, 69.81 percent in 2008, 64.3 percent in 2004, 68.7 percent in 2000, and for the 1996 election, 69.8 percent in the first round and 69.4 percent in the second.

CEC chair Ella Pamfilova attributed the high turnout partly to the election duration of three days, the personalized notification of voters, and the introduction of new voting forms, from electronic distant voting to mobile voting at any polling station.

An expert told Index that early voting had begun at the end of February for remote Siberian animal herder communities and Arctic Circle meteorological station workers, and similar provisions were made for naval crews on long sea exercises. Early voting was also available abroad.

However, the prolonged voting period made any objective monitoring impossible, underlined András Rácz, and Russia did not permit Western observers during the election. The CEC merely disclosed that 1,115 foreign observers from 129 countries attended to monitor the elections. Representatives from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) were not invited.

By 3 p.m. Sunday, 5 million had voted in Moscow, with 3.5 million doing so online. Vladimir Putin himself cast his vote online on Friday. The servers of the ruling United Russia party had collapsed the day before due to a cyberattack, with authorities pointing fingers at Ukraine.

Not Just Putin on the Ballot

Another post-Soviet specialist informed Index that VCIOM's survey predicted an 82 percent victory for Putin, with the Kremlin likely content with an over 80 percent outcome.

Besides Putin, three other candidates were nominated by parliamentary parties within the system:

* Nikolai Kharitonov (Communist Party of the Russian Federation),

* Vladislav Davankov (New People), and

* Leonid Slutsky (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia).

For Slutsky and Davankov, this was their first presidential election, Kharitonov's second, and Putin's fifth.

"They mainly fight for the legitimacy of their own parties since they agree with the government on fundamental questions. It's unclear what alternative they offer to voters," noted András Köstür; a 5-6 percent result for these three contenders would suffice for their goals.

Incidents and Irregularities in Voting, Spoiled Ballot Boxes

During the three days of voting, there were multiple reports of outrages. In the morning, a man threw two Molotov cocktails into the yard of the Russian embassy in Chișinău, Moldova, but no one was injured and he was detained. In Saint Petersburg, a young woman was arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of a polling station, and in Moscow, another person was apprehended for pouring liquid into the ballot box.

Across Russia, during the first two days, incidents included Molotov cocktails thrown at ballot boxes, an election poster set on fire, and a voting booth vandalized.

In total, about 75 people were arrested across various locations in Russia.

Mid-Day Protests Against Putin in Europe

The late Russian opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, had called for people to gather at polling places at noon on the election's final day, Sunday, to signify their non-support for Putin's re-election. His widow, Yulia, voted in Berlin, where she and Putin's former rival, businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who survived Siberian prison camps and now lives abroad, were present.

Yulia Navalnaya posted on social media, also photographed with those in line.

Navalnaya appeared at the protest in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin alongside Kira Yarmysh, the late opposition politician's spokesperson. An accompanying video captioned "Noon Against Putin" reflected the slogan under which opposition protests against the Russian presidential election were organized. On Departure, Navalnaya said she wrote Navalny's name on her ballot.

About 800 people attended the protest in the German capital, according to police. Chants included "Victory to Ukraine! Freedom for Russia!", "Navalny is the hero of Russia," and "Putin is illegitimate." Many waved white-blue-white flags, representing "free Russia," as participants of the protest understood.

Protests took place at Russian embassies in Great Britain, France, Latvia, and Finland, where thousands lined up. Although they registered to vote, likely they submitted invalid ballots. As many stated, they simply wrote 'Navalny' on their ballots. Despite the closure of Russian polls, at foreign Russian embassies, voting took place till 8 p.m. local time.

In Russia, the crowds stood quietly outside polling places at noon, purportedly to cast their votes, but effectively to participate in a silent protest. The police remained at the ready but had no legal grounds to act against those in line. Foreign reports confirmed an unexpected surge in the number of those waiting outside polling stations around midday, especially in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Perm, Yekaterinburg, and Chelyabinsk.

Boris Nadezhdin, who wanted to run for president as a member of the non-parliamentary Civil Initiative party but was not registered as a candidate by the CEC for failing to collect the required 100,000 valid signatures, appeared at one of these Moscow protests.

Long Lines at the Russian Embassy in Budapest

In Budapest, long, tight queues formed in front of the Russian Cultural Center on Andrássy Avenue, where voting in the Russian presidential elections was available.

Our colleague on-site asked several waiting voters, who reluctantly answered, insisting on anonymity.

A middle-aged man at the front of the line revealed that he had been there since noon, chosen intentionally for demonstration purposes, to show defiance against the Russian government.

"This is the only way we can make our voices heard," said a middle-aged Russian woman who chose Hungary after the war broke out.

By four in the afternoon, the line had begun to dwindle.

Putin Emphasizes Need for a Stronger, More Effective Russia

Following the election results, the Russian president delivered a victory speech, his first public comments since the end of voting.

Confirming his win, he stated that his triumph allows Russia to strengthen societal unity and become "stronger and more effective."

"No one will oppress Russia if we are consolidated. We are one, a united family," he proclaimed.

The crowd greeted the Russian leader with chants of "Putin, Putin, Putin" before his speech.

Putin expressed his gratitude for "the support and trust of Russians," claiming that the outcome reflects faith in the nation's chosen path. He sees his victory as an indication that Russia is on the right track.