What happened
Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated his preordained victory Monday, after Russia's Central Election Commission reported he won 87% of the stage-managed vote. Long lines materialized at noon on Sunday at voting places across Russia and abroad, in a silent protest endorsed by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
What said what
Putin said his landslide victory shows a "common will of the people," and he dismissed the opposition's evidently successful "Noon Against Putin" protest as praiseworthy "calls to come vote." Clearly "all these people came to our demonstration at noon," Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said after voting at Russia's Berlin embassy (pictured above), "and I thank them all."
The commentary
Undoubtedly "Putin will use the outcome as proof of mass support" and democratic legitimacy, Eva Hartog said at Politico, but the obviously fraudulent margin of victory makes him look weak, so Putin "might be the biggest dupe of his own rigged vote."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Russians are "uneasy" now because "the period after any presidential election is when the Kremlin habitually introduces unpopular policies," The New York Times said. This time they expect a military mobilization for Ukraine.
-
5 cartoons of mass destruction about Dick Cheney’s legacyCartoon Artists take on hall of fame, pearly gates, and more
-
What happens to a Democratic Party without Nancy Pelosi?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The storied former speaker of the House is set to retire, leaving congressional Democrats a complicated legacy and an uncertain future
-
The plant-based portfolio diet focuses on heart healthThe Explainer Its guidelines are flexible and vegan-friendly
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Push for Ukraine ceasefire collapsesFeature Talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were called off after the Russian president refused to compromise on his demands
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
