What the Russian election reveals about Putin’s rule

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a concert marking his victory in the presidential election and the 10-year anniversary of Crimea’s annexation by Russia on Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on Monday (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin secured another six years in power in a preordained election landslide that comes amid the harshest crackdown on the opposition and free speech since Soviet times.

The three days of balloting, in which Mr Putin faced three token contenders but none offering voters any real choice, went ahead with barely any independent monitoring and were marked by a level of pressure unseen in previous Russian elections.