MOSCOW. Vladimir Putin said Russia would not be
"intimidated" as he hailed an election victory that paves the way for
the former spy to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200
years. All of the 71-year-old's major opponents are dead,
in prison or exiled, and he has overseen an unrelenting crackdown on anybody
who publicly opposes his rule or his military offensive in Ukraine.
"I
want to thank all of you and all citizens of the country for your support and
this trust," Putin told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in
Moscow early Monday, hours after polls closed.
"No
matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much
they want to suppress us, our will, our consciousness -- no one has ever
succeeded in anything like this in history. It has not worked now and will not
work in the future. Never," he added.
With
more than 99 percent of voting stations having submitted results, Putin had
secured 87 percent of all votes cast, official election data showed, according
to state news agency RIA.
It
is a record victory in a presidential election where he faced no genuine
competition.
The
three-day election was marked by a surge in deadly Ukrainian bombardments,
incursions into Russian territory by pro-Kyiv sabotage groups and vandalism at
polling stations.
The
Kremlin had cast the election as a moment for Russians to throw their weight
behind the full-scale military operation in Ukraine, where voting was also
being staged in Russian-controlled territories.