Kremlin Calls Election Results in Russia Unique, Says Putin’s Victory Absolute
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The results of the presidential election in Russia are unique and the victory of President Vladimir Putin is absolute, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
According to the latest data from the Russian Central Election Commission after processing 99.72% of ballots, Putin is leading with 87.3% of the votes.
"The results for incumbent president Putin are completely unique ... [this is] an absolute victory as a candidate," Peskov told reporters.
Talking about the illegitimacy of the election means to call over 87% of Russian votes illegitimate, this is absurd, the official added.
Fact check: Addressing Western claims about Russian presidential election
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 18, 2024
Western media outlets and politicians rushed to dispute the integrity of the 2024 Russian presidential election within moments of Putin’s landslide victory. Let’s review the facts of how the election…
Moscow Categorically Disagrees With US Assessments of Russian Election
"We strongly disagree with this assessment. Speaking to reporters late yesterday evening, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said that such assessments are quite expected and predictable. Considering that de facto the United States is a country deeply involved in the war in Ukraine, and [it is] a country that is essentially, de facto, at war with us," Peskov emphasized.
On Sunday, the White House National Security Council said that the presidential election in Russia was "obviously not free nor fair."
Idea of Buffer Zone Means Ensuring Security of Russia's Territory Under Attacks
The idea of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the creation of a buffer zone meant taking measures to ensure the security of the territory of Russia which is under attack, Peskov also pointed out.
Earlier in the day, Putin said that Russia could be forced to create a buffer zone in territories controlled by the Kiev regime, from where it will not be possible for missiles to reach the Russian regions.
"The President means that against the background of attacks, drone attacks, against the background of artillery shelling of our territory, settlements on our territories, social facilities, residential buildings, measures will be taken to secure these territories. They can only be secured by creating a certain corridor, a certain buffer zone, so that any means that the enemy can use to strike are beyond reach," Peskov told reporters.
Putin Did Not Confirm Fact of Negotiations on Exchange of Navalny With West
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not confirm the fact of negotiations on the exchange of the late Russian Alexei Navalny, the Russian leader only agreed with the idea of such talks, the spokesman also noted.
"I want to draw your attention to two points. The first point is that President Putin did not confirm that negotiations had been held. He said that an idea was put forward by one of the people about the exchange of Navalny, to which he potentially agreed and immediately told the one who put forward such an idea. Putin did not say that negotiations were held on this matter," he said.
Earlier in the day, Putin told reporters at his campaign headquarters that he agreed to the proposal to exchange Navalny for Russian citizens detained in Western countries.
Many People Broke Away From Their Homeland, Including Navalny's Widow
There are many people that have broken away from their homeland and "do not feel its pulse," including Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia, Peskov added.
"There are a lot of people who live and who have completely broken away from their homeland. Yulia Navalnaya that you have mentioned is becoming more and more one of those people who lose their roots, lose ties with their homeland, lost the understanding of the motherland, stopped feeling the pulse of their country," he noted.
