Putin hails the 'return' to Russia of annexed Ukrainian land
![Vladimir Putin hailed the 'return' to Russia of annexed Ukrainian territories at a concert on Red Square today after winning a presidential election slammed by a watchdog as the most fraudulent and corrupt in the country's history. The annexation of the Black Sea peninsula Crimea in 2014 was a precursor to Moscow 's seizure of four other Ukraine regions in 2022 that it has declared parts of Russia, in actions condemned as illegal by most countries at the United Nations. Putin told the large, flag-waving crowd in Moscow today that the 'return' of those other regions to Russia had turned out to be 'much more grave and tragic' than Crimea's, but it had been accomplished.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82606439-13211703-Vladimir_Putin_hailed_the_return_to_Russia_of_annexed_Ukrainian_-a-22_1710807258288.jpg)
Vladimir Putin hailed the 'return' to Russia of annexed Ukrainian territories at a concert on Red Square today after winning a presidential election slammed by a watchdog as the most fraudulent and corrupt in the country's history. The annexation of the Black Sea peninsula Crimea in 2014 was a precursor to Moscow 's seizure of four other Ukraine regions in 2022 that it has declared parts of Russia, in actions condemned as illegal by most countries at the United Nations. Putin told the large, flag-waving crowd in Moscow today that the 'return' of those other regions to Russia had turned out to be 'much more grave and tragic' than Crimea's, but it had been accomplished.
![The ex-spy won over 87 percent of the vote in a three-day ballot which included voting in parts of Ukraine held by Russian forces. But an independent Russian vote monitoring group said that the presidential election that Putin won was the most fraudulent and corrupt in the country's history. Two years after Putin launched what he calls his 'special military operation', Russia has not fully captured the four regions in Ukraine, but voting in Russia's three-day presidential election that ended on Sunday was held in the parts of Ukraine that its forces control. Ukraine said the exercise was illegal and void.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82606317-13211703-The_ex_spy_won_over_87_percent_of_the_vote_in_a_three_day_ballot-a-23_1710807258289.jpg)
The ex-spy won over 87 percent of the vote in a three-day ballot which included voting in parts of Ukraine held by Russian forces. But an independent Russian vote monitoring group said that the presidential election that Putin won was the most fraudulent and corrupt in the country's history. Two years after Putin launched what he calls his 'special military operation', Russia has not fully captured the four regions in Ukraine, but voting in Russia's three-day presidential election that ended on Sunday was held in the parts of Ukraine that its forces control. Ukraine said the exercise was illegal and void.
![Putin said officials had reported early on Monday that rail links had been restored from Rostov in southern Russia to the Russian-controlled cities of Donetsk, Mariupol and Berdyansk, and further upgrades would follow. Putin's victory is widely expected to further tighten his grip on Russia, where dissent is no longer tolerated under fast-accelerating repression. Moscow has presented last weekend's presidential election as proof that Russians have rallied around Putin more than two years into the Ukraine offensive. In power since the last day of 1999, Putin is now on course to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82606319-13211703-Putin_said_officials_had_reported_early_on_Monday_that_rail_link-a-24_1710807258290.jpg)
Putin said officials had reported early on Monday that rail links had been restored from Rostov in southern Russia to the Russian-controlled cities of Donetsk, Mariupol and Berdyansk, and further upgrades would follow. Putin's victory is widely expected to further tighten his grip on Russia, where dissent is no longer tolerated under fast-accelerating repression. Moscow has presented last weekend's presidential election as proof that Russians have rallied around Putin more than two years into the Ukraine offensive. In power since the last day of 1999, Putin is now on course to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries.
!['Hand in hand, we will move forward and this will make us stronger... Long live Russia,' Putin told the crowd attending the pop concert to mark 10 years since Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin boasted of a new rail link in areas of Ukraine captured by Russian forces, saying those regions had 'declared their desire to return to their native family'. He appeared at the concert alongside the three candidates who ran against him after hosting them at a Kremlin meeting in which they all congratulated him. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin's victory showed Russians were consolidating 'around his path', calling it 'an exceptionally perfect result'. All of the 71-year-old's major opponents are dead, in prison or in exile and voting took place a month after Putin's main challenger Alexei Navalny died in prison.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82606441-13211703-_Hand_in_hand_we_will_move_forward_and_this_will_make_us_stronge-a-25_1710807258292.jpg)
'Hand in hand, we will move forward and this will make us stronger... Long live Russia,' Putin told the crowd attending the pop concert to mark 10 years since Russia's annexation of Crimea. Putin boasted of a new rail link in areas of Ukraine captured by Russian forces, saying those regions had 'declared their desire to return to their native family'. He appeared at the concert alongside the three candidates who ran against him after hosting them at a Kremlin meeting in which they all congratulated him. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin's victory showed Russians were consolidating 'around his path', calling it 'an exceptionally perfect result'. All of the 71-year-old's major opponents are dead, in prison or in exile and voting took place a month after Putin's main challenger Alexei Navalny died in prison.
![Authorities had called on Russians to take part in the vote out of patriotic duty. The three-day vote - also held in occupied Ukraine - was marred by spoiled ballots and Ukrainian bombardments. Thousands responded to the opposition's call to protest the election by forming long queues at polling stations - both inside and outside Russia. Yulia Navalnaya - who has vowed to continue her late husband Alexei's work - queued with crowds in Berlin Sunday and said she had written his name on her ballot paper. Moscow had warned Russians not to take part in the protests and on Monday dismissed the opposition. 'There are many people who... have completely broken away from the motherland,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82564177-13211703-Authorities_had_called_on_Russians_to_take_part_in_the_vote_out_-a-26_1710807258292.jpg)
Authorities had called on Russians to take part in the vote out of patriotic duty. The three-day vote - also held in occupied Ukraine - was marred by spoiled ballots and Ukrainian bombardments. Thousands responded to the opposition's call to protest the election by forming long queues at polling stations - both inside and outside Russia. Yulia Navalnaya - who has vowed to continue her late husband Alexei's work - queued with crowds in Berlin Sunday and said she had written his name on her ballot paper. Moscow had warned Russians not to take part in the protests and on Monday dismissed the opposition. 'There are many people who... have completely broken away from the motherland,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
!['Yulia Navalnaya, whom you mentioned, belongs to this group of people who lose their roots,' he added. Moscow has regularly blasted the hundreds of thousands of Russians who fled their country in the aftermath of the Ukraine offensive as traitors. Ballots were also spoiled by green dye and there were several incidents of voting booths being set on fire. Putin on Sunday warned that Russians who spoiled their ballots 'have to be dealt with' and dismissed opposition protests as having 'no effect'. Calling such people 'scumbags,' Russia's election chief warned those who tried to disrupt voting would face five years in jail, and former president Dmitry Medvedev said they could be charged with treason. At least 74 people were arrested across Russia on Sunday's final day of voting, according to rights group OVD-Info.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82564181-13211703-_Yulia_Navalnaya_whom_you_mentioned_belongs_to_this_group_of_peo-a-21_1710807258286.jpg)
'Yulia Navalnaya, whom you mentioned, belongs to this group of people who lose their roots,' he added. Moscow has regularly blasted the hundreds of thousands of Russians who fled their country in the aftermath of the Ukraine offensive as traitors. Ballots were also spoiled by green dye and there were several incidents of voting booths being set on fire. Putin on Sunday warned that Russians who spoiled their ballots 'have to be dealt with' and dismissed opposition protests as having 'no effect'. Calling such people 'scumbags,' Russia's election chief warned those who tried to disrupt voting would face five years in jail, and former president Dmitry Medvedev said they could be charged with treason. At least 74 people were arrested across Russia on Sunday's final day of voting, according to rights group OVD-Info.
![Putin on Sunday also said Navalny's name for the first time in public - breaking his years-long tradition of never referring to his opponent by name. It was the first time he had commented on Navalny's death in prison on February 16th. Putin said that he had green-lighted an initiative for a prisoner swap including Navalny for Russians held in Western jails - confirming allegations made by Navalny's team. 'I agreed on one condition: for us to exchange him and for him not to return,' Putin said. He said Navalny died days later. 'But this happens. There is nothing that you can do about it. That's life.' He did not say how Navalny died. Navalny's team alleges that he was killed on the eve of a prisoner swap. Navalny is the latest Putin opponent to die in mysterious circumstances.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82573361-13211703-Putin_on_Sunday_also_said_Navalny_s_name_for_the_first_time_in_p-a-31_1710807258437.jpg)
Putin on Sunday also said Navalny's name for the first time in public - breaking his years-long tradition of never referring to his opponent by name. It was the first time he had commented on Navalny's death in prison on February 16th. Putin said that he had green-lighted an initiative for a prisoner swap including Navalny for Russians held in Western jails - confirming allegations made by Navalny's team. 'I agreed on one condition: for us to exchange him and for him not to return,' Putin said. He said Navalny died days later. 'But this happens. There is nothing that you can do about it. That's life.' He did not say how Navalny died. Navalny's team alleges that he was killed on the eve of a prisoner swap. Navalny is the latest Putin opponent to die in mysterious circumstances.
![The Kremlin said Putin held phone calls with his ex-Soviet allies in Central Asia, Belarus and Azerbaijan after the vote. He also received congratulations from countries such as China, North Korea, Venezuela and Myanmar, Russian state media said. But the result was met with scathing statements from Western leaders - in contrast with the previous four elections Putin has won since 2000. 'This election has been based on repression and intimidation,' the EU's foreign minister Josep Borrell said. The UK also slammed the vote as unfair. 'Putin removes his political opponents, controls the media, and then crowns himself the winner. This is not democracy,' Britain's foreign minister David Cameron said in a statement.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82606313-13211703-The_Kremlin_said_Putin_held_phone_calls_with_his_ex_Soviet_allie-a-27_1710807258432.jpg)
The Kremlin said Putin held phone calls with his ex-Soviet allies in Central Asia, Belarus and Azerbaijan after the vote. He also received congratulations from countries such as China, North Korea, Venezuela and Myanmar, Russian state media said. But the result was met with scathing statements from Western leaders - in contrast with the previous four elections Putin has won since 2000. 'This election has been based on repression and intimidation,' the EU's foreign minister Josep Borrell said. The UK also slammed the vote as unfair. 'Putin removes his political opponents, controls the media, and then crowns himself the winner. This is not democracy,' Britain's foreign minister David Cameron said in a statement.
![Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin was a 'dictator' who wanted to 'rule forever.' Election watchdog Golos (Voice) said the election could not be considered genuine because 'the campaign took place in a situation where the fundamental articles of the Russian Constitution, guaranteeing political rights and freedoms, were essentially not in effect'. 'Never before have we seen a presidential campaign that fell so far short of constitutional standards,' the group said in a statement. The Kremlin on Monday hailed the result, on a record turnout of 77.4 percent, as showing that the Russian people had 'consolidated' around Putin. It said Western attempts to portray the election as illegitimate were absurd. The United States, Germany, and others have said the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82570447-13211703-Ukraine_s_Volodymyr_Zelensky_said_Putin_was_a_dictator_who_wante-a-30_1710807258436.jpg)
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin was a 'dictator' who wanted to 'rule forever.' Election watchdog Golos (Voice) said the election could not be considered genuine because 'the campaign took place in a situation where the fundamental articles of the Russian Constitution, guaranteeing political rights and freedoms, were essentially not in effect'. 'Never before have we seen a presidential campaign that fell so far short of constitutional standards,' the group said in a statement. The Kremlin on Monday hailed the result, on a record turnout of 77.4 percent, as showing that the Russian people had 'consolidated' around Putin. It said Western attempts to portray the election as illegitimate were absurd. The United States, Germany, and others have said the vote was neither free nor fair due to the imprisonment of political opponents and censorship.
![Founded in 2000, Golos is the only Russian electoral watchdog independent of the authorities. Branded a 'foreign agent' in 2013, it was barred from sending observers to polling stations. One of its leaders, Grigory Melkonyants, is in prison awaiting trial on what Golos says are politicised charges. Russia's electoral commission said the vote took place under proper scrutiny. It said there was a third of a million Russian observers, nominated by candidates, parties and social organisations, as well as hundreds from abroad. But Golos said candidates and parties had refrained from sending observers in some regions. In others, observers were withdrawn after voting commenced, it said. 'In private conversations, representatives of candidates and parties admitted that this was done under pressure,' Golos said.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82575947-13211703-Founded_in_2000_Golos_is_the_only_Russian_electoral_watchdog_ind-a-28_1710807258435.jpg)
Founded in 2000, Golos is the only Russian electoral watchdog independent of the authorities. Branded a 'foreign agent' in 2013, it was barred from sending observers to polling stations. One of its leaders, Grigory Melkonyants, is in prison awaiting trial on what Golos says are politicised charges. Russia's electoral commission said the vote took place under proper scrutiny. It said there was a third of a million Russian observers, nominated by candidates, parties and social organisations, as well as hundreds from abroad. But Golos said candidates and parties had refrained from sending observers in some regions. In others, observers were withdrawn after voting commenced, it said. 'In private conversations, representatives of candidates and parties admitted that this was done under pressure,' Golos said.
![Other 'undesirable' observers were removed from polling stations and given summonses to appear at military registration offices during the voting period, while others were detained and searched, it added. Golos said examples of voter intimidation included the presence of law enforcement officers in polling stations and reports that officers peered over voters' shoulders to read their ballots. One officer at a polling site in the Moscow region 'snatched the completed ballot from one voter's hand and checked who she voted for', the group said. Officers at another Moscow site demanded a local electoral official open a sealed ballot box and hand over one of the slips, Golos said. These incidents could not be independently verified. Read the full story:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13211117/Putin-addresses-crowd-Moscow-election.html?ito=msngallery](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/03/19/00/82498897-13211703-Other_undesirable_observers_were_removed_from_polling_stations_a-a-29_1710807258436.jpg)
Other 'undesirable' observers were removed from polling stations and given summonses to appear at military registration offices during the voting period, while others were detained and searched, it added. Golos said examples of voter intimidation included the presence of law enforcement officers in polling stations and reports that officers peered over voters' shoulders to read their ballots. One officer at a polling site in the Moscow region 'snatched the completed ballot from one voter's hand and checked who she voted for', the group said. Officers at another Moscow site demanded a local electoral official open a sealed ballot box and hand over one of the slips, Golos said. These incidents could not be independently verified. Read the full story:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13211117/Putin-addresses-crowd-Moscow-election.html?ito=msngallery
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