Putin Tightens Grip on Power in Russian Election but Thousands Join Noon Protest
Published on March 17, 2024
MOSCOW—President Vladimir Putin is poised to tighten his grip on power on Sunday in a Russian election that is certain to deliver him a landslide victory, though thousands of opponents staged a symbolic noon protest at polling stations. Mr. Putin, who rose to power in 1999, is set to win a new six-year term that would enable him to become Russia’s longest-serving leader for more than 200 years. The election comes just over two years since Mr. Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War Two by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. He casts it as a “special military operation.”...