Russia said Sunday it had captured four more villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, as thousands of residents were evacuated from the offensive in an area where Russian troops were repelled in 2022.
Election commission results on Monday (March 18) showed that President Vladimir Putin has secured a fifth term with an overwhelming number of votes, in an election that held little suspense. Putin was all but guaranteed to win re-election, having silenced or imprisoned all his major opponents.
A presidential election with no real competition allowed Vladimir Putin to claim strong public support for his domestic dominance and the invasion of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin claims landslide Russian election victory Russian president uses victory speech to say war in Ukraine and strengthening military will be his main tasks
The KGB agent turned warlord president has shaped Russia with resentment and force. As Donald Trump threatens to abandon NATO allies if he returns to the White House, Putin’s poised to take advantage.
Putin has withstood the West’s best efforts to reverse his invasion of Ukraine, and his hold on power is firm. The U.S. and its allies need a new strategy: containment.