Reactions as Vladimir Putin secures fifth term as Russia’s president after tightly controlled vote

The Associated Press

Vladimir Putin has secured an unprecedented fifth term as president of Russia. The country’s election commission announced the results of an election in which he faced no serious challenges and which happened amid the strictest crackdown on opposition and free speech since Soviet times. Putin claimed Monday that the overwhelming number of votes he received as proof of Russians “trust” and “hopes” in him, while politicians across Europe rejected the vote as a sham and condemned Russia’s efforts to stage elections in occupied parts of Ukraine that it claims as its own territory.