In the middle of an election period, he says he does not want to be intimidated.
Just before voting online, Vladimir Putin vowed on Friday that his country would respond to the recent Ukrainian bombings on its soil and denounced the incursions of pro-Ukraine fighters, an “attempt” to “disrupt” the presidential election which should see him re-elected, in the absence of candidates directly opposed to his policies.
Since Friday morning, Russians have been called to the polls, while, in recent days, ground assaults and drone and shell strikes on the Russian side of the border with Ukraine have increased, causing several deaths and injuries, according to the authorities.
“These enemy strikes do not and will not go unpunished,” assured the Russian president during a televised meeting of his security council.
Referring more specifically to the land incursions, he assured that, “in all directions, the enemy had no success, he was everywhere repulsed and withdrew, or rather fled with heavy losses”.
The “disrupted” voting process
According to him, such attacks from Ukraine targeting Russian territory are “aimed at disrupting the voting process and intimidating the population, at least in the regions bordering Ukraine”.
Vladimir Putin, who regularly praises the “unity” of Russian society after more than two years of conflict in Ukraine, despite heavy Western sanctions, once again struck this chord in his speech.
“I am sure that our people, the Russian people, will react with even more unity,” he said, promising that the nation would not allow itself to be “intimidated” despite “civilian losses.”
The current master of the Kremlin, in power for almost a quarter of a century, must be re-elected on Sunday, without opposition, after three days of voting.