Vladimir Putin Wins Landslide, Kremlin: Clearest Confirmation of Public Support

JAKARTA - The Kremlin says the re-election of President Vladimir Putin shows that the Russian people are consolidated around him and that Moscow is not interested in Washington's criticism, because the United States is de facto at war with Russia in Ukraine.

Putin won about 87 percent or 76 million votes, by far the largest gain in Russia's post-Soviet history, according to official results after nearly all the votes were counted. Turnout reached more than 77 percent, also the largest in Russia's post-Soviet history.

"This is the clearest confirmation of the level of support of the country's people for its president, and their consolidation around him," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, as reported by Reuters, March 19.

The White House previously said Russia's election was "clearly not free and fair", as Putin had jailed his opponents and prevented others from running against him.

"We strongly disagree with this assessment of the United States," Peskov said.

"This kind of assessment is expected and predictable, considering that de facto the United States is a country that is very involved in the war in Ukraine. This is a country that is actually at war with us," he explained.

"This is not an opinion that we are ready to listen to and that is even important to us," he stressed.

Peskov said that if Western countries wanted to talk about the illegitimacy of Russia's elections, they would declare 87 percent of the votes cast for Putin invalid, something he said was ridiculous.

"This is absurd," Peskov said.

Asked about calls by some Russian opposition activists to declare Russia's elections illegitimate, Peskov said people like Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, had lost touch with Russia.

"There are many people who have completely separated themselves from their homeland. The Yulia Navalnaya you mentioned is increasingly moving into the camp of these people," Peskov answered.

He said such people "lose their roots, ties with their homeland, lose understanding of their homeland and stop feeling the pulse of their country."