RUSSIA PUTIN WILL SEIZE HIS CHANCE TO PROVE THAT THE WAR IS ON TRACK
Putin, 71, has come to dominate Russia's political system and the media over the past two decades. But while the election appears to be a formality, it will be held in an ever more conservative country that has been fundamentally changed by war, where all dissent has been criminalised and with prominent opposition politicians behind bars.
The elections will be different in terms of the ground they cover too, with voting taking place in what Russia calls its new territories; parts of Ukraine now occupied by Russian forces.
"These elections are a means for Putin to legitimise his decision to go the war in Ukraine," said
Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, based in Moscow.
Denne historien er fra January 05, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian Weekly.
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Alison's world The graphic novelist faces up to midlife in this playfully fictionalised memoir
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Time warp Romance is beautifully drawn in a tale of two couples whose lives overlap, a century apart
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