MOSCOW: The Kremlin hailed President Vladimir Putin's election win as "exceptional" on Monday, after the ex-spy won over 87 percent of the vote in a three-day ballot blasted as illegitimate by Western powers.
Moscow has presented the weekend presidential election as proof that Russians have rallied around Putin more than two years into the Ukraine offensive.
In power since the last day of 1999, he is now on course to become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than two centuries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the result showed Russians were consolidating "around his (Putin's) path."
Authorities had called on Russians to take part in the vote out of patriotic duty.
Kremlin-friendly electoral chief Ella Pamfilova said Putin had won a "record" result and got "almost 76 million" votes.
The West slammed the election as unfair but Pamfilova, speaking on state television, dismissed the statements as made by "a dying branch of humanity."
She said international OSCE observers were not invited because they were "in the hands of the Anglo-Saxons."
Her commission said the vote ran smoothly and fairly.
The Kremlin said Putin held phone calls with his ex-Soviet allies in Central Asia, Belarus and Azerbaijan after the vote.
He also received congratulations from other authoritarian countries such as China, North Korea, Venezuela and Myanmar, Russian state media said.
Putin reaffirmed growing ties with Beijing in his victory speech.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday congratulated Vladimir Putin on his election victory, hailing the Russian president as a force for progress as Moscow's ties with Beijing deepen.
In a congratulatory message reported by Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV, Xi told Putin his re-election "fully reflects the support of the Russian people for you".
"I believe that under your leadership, Russia will be able to achieve greater achievements in national development and construction," Xi said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday in a congratulatory message to re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin he looked forward to boosting ties to develop their "special" relationship.
"Look forward to working together to further strengthen the time-tested Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia in the years to come," Modi wrote on social media platform X.
Whereas the previous four presidential elections Putin won since 2000 saw Western leaders pour in their congratulations, his victory this time was met with scathing statements.
Kyiv stepped up attacks on Russian soil in the run-up and during the election. Russia said Monday that another two people were killed in the Belgorod border region. — AFP
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