Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin still reigns as the undisputed master of immense Russia, custodian of its past glory and its present misfortunes. His re-election without rival or debate, a month after he took the life of his most threatening opponent, Alexeï Navalny, could be seen as a superfluous charade.
It still renews its legitimacy at the head of a country which supports it, partly for lack of alternative, in times of war and in the absence of any free expression.