Russian President Vladimir Putin, after declaring victory in a sham presidential election, held a rally on the Red Square marking his victory and the illegal ten-year occupation of Crimea.
Putin took the stage in the company of his "rivals," Kremlin-friendly lawmakers, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolai Kharitonov and Leonid Slutsky, who ran against Putin in the election.
All three, praised Putin and offered their support.
The three-day Russian presidential election that concluded on March 17 resulted in Russia's Central Election Commission giving Putin 87,28% of the vote. It was widely viewed as neither free nor fair.
In his speech, Putin called occupied Crimea "Russia's tradition and pride," while the three so-called competitors praised Putin for occupying the Ukrainian peninsula.
Dinara Khalilova
Putin also claimed the "restoration" of a railroad from Russian port city Rostov-on-Don to occupied Berdiansk, which is located on the Black Sea coast in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, around 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Mariupol.
"Glory to Russia," Putin said before the Russian national anthem played.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were forced to take part in "elections" at gunpoint — in Crimea, as well as regions annexed in 2022, including parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts.
After the end of Russia's presidential election, Putin reiterated his goals for the full-scale war in Ukraine and again threatened the West.
Only a small group of autocratic leaders congratulated Putin.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
