As of: March 18, 2024, 5:48 p.m
Comments
Press
Split
Observers, however, expect that the repression will increase after Putin's re-election in order to cement his hold on power.
© Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP/dpa
Moscow is celebrating a new “election triumph” for Kremlin leader Putin.
But it's not just in the West that there are questions about how to deal with the long-term president.
Many Russians are also wondering what will happen next.
Moscow – Visibly relaxed, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin appears in front of his supporters on election night and thanks Russian voters for their trust.
As he often does after elections, the 71-year-old looks as if a heavy burden has been lifted from him.
To the astonishment of many, he even spoke the name of his fiercest opponent for the first time: Alexei Navalny.
It's sad that the 47-year-old opposition figure died in custody, but that's just what happens.
Putin, who has not allowed any other real opponents to run for president, apparently feels stronger than ever in his almost 25 years in power.
The former intelligence officer is relieved that his close confidant, Ella Pamfilova, gave him a record result as election officer with a record voter turnout.
After all, there has been a tense atmosphere in Russia's center of power, especially since Navalny's death a month ago.
The cries of “Putin is a murderer” and “Russia without Putin” that were widely heard at Navalny’s funeral in Moscow have also reached the Kremlin.
And the protests against Putin's re-election on Sunday in many polling stations did not go unnoticed.
It was “bad” that some dissidents decided to invalidate the ballot papers, Putin said after the action.
But that has no impact on the result.
In fact, thousands have gathered at polling stations to vote against the long-term president.
And these voters insist that Russians are not as closely aligned with Putin and supportive of his war against Ukraine as the Kremlin repeatedly claims.
Moscow's leadership celebrates the result
Images spread around the world of Russians waiting in long lines to vote against Putin.
This disrupted the image painted by the state media of laughing and happy voters who expressed their loyalty to the incumbent.
In the ideal world of Russian state television, dissatisfied people traditionally don't have a say.
That's why Putin is constantly there.
And he also uses his speech on election night to further prepare people for war and conflicts with the West.
“The conflict means that it is only one step to the Third World War,” he told journalists in the room.
There are no questions.
Russia must achieve its goals in Ukraine and strengthen its defense capabilities and armed forces, emphasizes Putin.
He once again makes it clear that Russia is ready to negotiate to end the war - but on its own terms.
The establishment of a buffer zone in Ukraine brings Putin into play again.
It should be so large that the areas occupied by Moscow can no longer be reached with NATO weapons.
Putin is open to a ceasefire during the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Not least because of his best election result to date - over 87 percent is attributed to him - he sees himself in a position of unprecedented strength.
Moscow's leadership is also celebrating the result as a failure of the West to influence the election.
On Monday, Putin also happily accepted congratulations from friendly states, including autocrats from North Korea, Syria and Tajikistan.
The Kremlin meticulously lists the well-wishers - and records who - such as Germany - does not congratulate or even rejects Putin's recognition.
The West's criticism of the election is by far the most hotly debated topic in Moscow the day after the vote.
Putin says he didn't expect applause from the West.
The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the heads of the NATO states behaved like “cockroaches” that run around each other when the light comes on: some did not want to recognize the result, others took note of it.
Shortly before the election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected any criticism.
“Our democracy is the very best and we will continue to build it.”
My news
A four-year-old has a tumor in his head – parents ask for help reading
Deaf to noise: Three US nerds declare war on Putin with a cheap drone read
“Stunned after all the rumors”: Princess Kate surprises with public appearance
Habeck wants to have gas networks shut down: What that means for consumers read
2 hours ago
“Detailed explanations are due”: Lauterbach Ministry is giving away almost a million euros – by reading the mail
Up to 30 centimeters: Where it's supposed to snow a lot on the weekend read
No free media reporting
Observers, however, expect that the repression will increase after Putin's re-election in order to cement his hold on power.
There is already no free media reporting in Russia and thousands of websites are blocked.
Anyone who criticizes the Kremlin or the war risks punishment, including imprisonment in a penal camp.
There is no freedom of assembly.
Opposition figures are either in prison, in exile abroad or dead.
The prominent Russian political scientist Andrei Kolesnikov in Moscow paints a bleak picture.
A power apparatus that only asserts itself through police force will never be able to govern comfortably.
Consolidating society based on hatred of the civilized world will not bring stability either.
Putin bases his power on the passivity of the masses and on fear.
“Vladimir Putin may be able to win in the short term, but he is laying mines under Russia's future,” analyzes the expert for the Carnegie think tank.
Many people don't see any prospects - nor any hope for a change of power.
Rather, the country is developing from an authoritarian regime into a totalitarian state, says Kolesnikov.
After almost a quarter of a century in power, Putin has cultivated a “parasitic elite” and a large part of the population is dependent on state jobs.
Instead of a middle class with entrepreneurs and creative people, there is an apparatus with security forces and bureaucrats whose income and social status are completely dependent on Putin's goodwill.
No one can say how long this will last. “It is possible that the regime will have enough resources to stay in power for the next few years on the principle of “after us the flood,” says Kolesnikov.
Almost four years ago, Putin set the course by amending the constitution so that he could stand for election again in 2030.
In Moscow's Red Square on Monday, thousands of people celebrated Putin as the election winner with chants of "Rossiya-Rossiya".
It was also a party to mark the 10th anniversary of the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.
dpa