Image source, EPA

Yulia Navalnya, who is the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, has thanked supporters for taking part in yesterday's "noon against Putin" protest.

She has posted on X, external, formerly known as Twitter, and says she is grateful to the people "who stood with me from 12 noon for a whole six hours, side-by-side in line at the polling station" at the Russian embassy in Berlin.

Yulia Navalnya called for people to form long queues at polling stations at midday on Sunday in a show of protest against President Putin.

Navalnya says it gave her hope when people shouted "Yulia, we are with you" and called out her late husband's name.

Alexei Navalny died last month in a remote penal colony in Siberia where he was being held on a 19-year sentence over charges that were widely seen as politically motivated.

His wife also says that the supporters who came out gave her hope that "everything is not in vain, that we will still fight".

She thanks everyone "who came out in every city around the world" and says "I love you all very much".

Image source, Reuters

We've just been hearing comments from the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who has been speaking about Russia's election and says it was not free and fair.

It was instead based on "repression and intimidation", Borrell says.

A joint statement on the vote is expected to be issued by the 27 EU nations later today.

Image source, .

With Russian exit polls announcing late Sunday that Vladimir Putin has secured a fifth term as president, he has now been the country's dominant political figure since he was handpicked by an ailing President Boris Yeltsin back in 1999.

Much of his early career was in the old KGB security service but in the late 1990s he was recruited to join the presidential administration and he was appointed prime minister months before being given the top job.

He has been president ever since 2000, apart from four years as prime minister from 2008-12 and even then he was widely seen as holding the reins of power.

Putin faced down rising opposition protests in 2011 and one-by-one critical voices have been silenced.

His opponents are now in exile, in jail or dead.

Putin is intensely private about his personal life, and divorced his wife Lyudmila in 2013 after 30 years of marriage.

They had two daughters, widely named as Maria Vorontsova, an academic and businesswoman, and Katerina Tikhonova, head of a research foundation.

Image source, Reuters

Putin has also adopted a stridently nationalist course and appealed to memories of Soviet-era power to shore up domestic support.

The president presents himself as a strong leader who took Russia out of the economic, social and political crisis of the 1990s, and defends Russia's national interests, particularly against alleged Western hostility.

He unleashed Europe's biggest war since World War Two in February 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

• You can read more about Vladimir Putin here.

As we reported earlier, world leaders have been sharing their thoughts on the Russian election as people around the globe wake up, unsurprisingly, to a new six-year term for Vladimir Putin.

Many have branded the vote a "pseudo-election" - while others have been offering congratulations.

Here are some of the latest comments we've heard:

• Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis says Putin's election victory lacks legitimacy as people were not free to choose
• Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has congratulated his Russian counterpart on his "decisive" win in the presidential election, state media reports
• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says: "Our older brother has triumphed, which bodes well for the world"
• Meanwhile, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has labelled the election a "farce and parody"

Image source, NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/EPA-EFE

President Putin has mocked democracy in the United States following his inevitable landslide victory in Russia's presidential election, which was tightly controlled by the Kremlin.

When Russian election officials said results gave him more than 87% of the vote, Putin said Russia's democracy was more transparent than many in the West.

Taking questions from reporters, he hailed Russia's presidential campaign as far more advanced than the US, citing Russia's use of online voting, which officials said brought in eight million voters.

Putin had earlier been filmed performing a single keystroke to exercise his democratic right.

"It's transparent and absolutely objective," he suggested, "not like in the US with mail-in voting... you can buy a vote for $10".

Independent watchdog Golos was barred from observing the vote but reports of irregularities have emerged, as well as pressure on public sector employees to vote either in polling stations or online.

Image source, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described Russia's presidential election as an illegitimate "imitation".

During his nightly video address, Zelensky said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was "drunk from power" and that there was "no evil" he would not commit to prolong his term.

"This person should be on trial in The Hague", he added.

For the first time, the national vote took place over three days (15-17 March).

Early voting also took place in the occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.

In Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, the commission has awarded Putin 94.12% of the vote, in Kherson 88.12, and in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia he was also given more than 90%.

Image source, EPA

During questions from journalists shortly after his victory was announced, Putin uttered Alexei Navalny's name in public for the first time in years.

Opposition leader Navalny died aged 47 last month in a penal colony situated well above the Arctic Circle. He was serving a long prison sentence on charges of fraud, contempt of court and extremism, which were criticised as being politically motivated.

Putin said yesterday that he had been in favour of a swap deal involving Navalny days before he died.

This was the first time Putin has commented on the proposed deal and seemingly confirmed its existence. He said the only condition would have been that Navalny would never be able to return to Russia.

The Russian leader did not specify who Navalny would have been traded for, saying only "some people who are behind bars in Western countries".

Putin added: "But when things like that happen you can not do anything about it – that’s life."

You can read more about the reported circumstances around Navalny's death here.

Image source, ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGE

If you are just joining us this morning, here's a quick recap of the key developments from yesterday's final day of voting in the Russian elections.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory in Russia's presidential election, with election officials giving him more than 87% of the vote
• However, Western countries have condemned the election as a sham, with no credible opposition candidate allowed
• The election took place over three days of voting which ended on Sunday. People across the country's eleven different time zones cast their ballot, with Russian officials saying turnout was greater than 77%
• There was, however, some symbolic opposition with the "Noon against Putin" initiative backed by Yulia Navalnaya - the widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny
• Long queues formed at noon in Russian cities including Moscow and St Petersburg, and in even greater numbers outside many embassies abroad, in a sign of protest
• Voting also took place in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea
• Speaking after his victory, Putin said Russia would become stronger: "No matter how hard they tried to scare us, suppress our will, our conscience... they failed now and they will fail in the future"

Image source, Reuters

The head of Russia's electoral commission says that the turnout in election over the weekend was 77.44% - a record in the post-Soviet era.

Russian officials have given President Vladimir Putin 87% of the vote, in an election widely criticised as neither free nor fair by Western observers.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring

Leonid Slutsky, one of Vladimir Putin's three election rivals who appeared on the ballot, says he is "happy" with his rival claiming victory in the Russian election on Sunday.

"I'm happy with this election outcome. To be frank, I had expected it and I think it's a victory," Slutsky tells a news conference at TASS.

The other two candidates running against Putin included Vladislav Davankov of the New People, ostensibly a liberal, pro-business party, and Nikolai Kharitonov, representing the Communist Party, which remains Russia's second most popular party, more than 30 years since the fall of the Soviet Union.

As we've been reporting, many Western authorities have criticised Russia's election as being neither free nor fair.

Here's a quick summary of some of the reactions we've been hearing:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Putin a "dictator" who is "drunk from power". "There is no evil he will not commit to prolong his personal power," Zelensky said
• In the United States, a White House spokesperson said the election was "obviously not free nor fair given how Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him"
• UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron criticised the vote on X, external, formerly known as Twitter, saying "this is not what free and fair elections look like"
• The German foreign ministry called the vote in Russia a "pseudo-election", external and said "Putin's rule is authoritarian, he relies on censorship, repression & violence"
• Meanwhile, the Polish foreign ministry has said that it's "impossible to make a free, democratic choice" in the Russian election

• But elsewhere, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong Un sent Putin a message congratulating him on his victory
• And a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson congratulated Putin, adding: "We firmly believe that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations will continue to move forward"

This is the moment Russia's President Vladimir Putin thanked Russians for putting their trust in him as he celebrated his inevitable presidential election win.

Putin received applause and cheers from supporters as he claimed victory and a fifth term in power.

Image source, Getty Images

Vladimir Putin delivered a victory speech after claiming victory in Russia’s presidential election over the weekend, in a process that has been described as neither free nor fair by a number of international authorities.

Here is a look at what he said:

• Putin has thanked citizens for turning out to vote, saying his win would allow the country to prosper
• He has vowed to strengthen Russia’s armed forces and prioritise what he called Russia’s "special military operation" in Ukraine

• Putin has said his victory shows Russians are united and would not be intimidated
• He took the opportunity to criticise the 'Noon against Putin' protests, organised by the late Alexei Navalny's widow - Yulia Navalnaya - that took place in several Russian cities and foreign polling stations
• Putin has told journalists that he had agreed to a swap deal to free Navalny before the opposition leader had died in an Arctic prison. It was the first time the Kremlin leader had uttered Navalny’s name in public in years

Johanna Chisholm
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Welcome back to our continued live coverage of the Russian election, as predictably Vladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory after a three-day vote widely condemned by Western nations as a "pseudo-election".

Late on Sunday, the Kremlin announced that the Russian leader had cemented another six-year term after securing 87% of the vote.

However, no credible opposition candidate was allowed to stand by the Kremlin and Putin's most outspoken critics are either dead, in jail or in exile.

Putin has ruled Russia since 2000 and is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

Yesterday, supporters of dead Putin critic Alexei Navalny did stage symbolic protests.

Their "Noon against Putin" initiative meant that long queues of voters turned out in Russian cities including Moscow and St Petersburg and outside many embassies abroad

Stick with us and we’ll bring you the latest updates.

Nadia Ragozhina
Live reporter

Thanks for being with us as we brought you the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin, as had been expected, claimed his fifth term in office.

To read the full story, click here.

This page was brought to you by Ece Goksedef, Pippa Allen-Kinross, Josh Cheetham, Malu Cursino, Sean Seddon and Paul Kirby, as well as Steve Rosenberg in Moscow and Sarah Rainsford in Kyiv, with contributions from BBC News, BBC Russian and BBC Ukrainian correspondents around the world.

It was edited by Jack Burgess and me.

Image source, Getty Images

Russia's three-day election period saw Vladimir Putin claim his fifth term in office, in a process described as neither free nor fair by those observing it from afar.

Votes were cast across 11 different time zones between Friday and Sunday, but on the ballot there was no credible opponent to the incumbent leader. Before we wrap up our live coverage, let's take a look at some of today's key moments:

• In a victory speech, Putin thanked citizens for turning out to vote, saying that his win would allow the country to prosper by becoming stronger and more effective
• "No matter how hard they tried to scare us, suppress our will, our conscience, no-one has ever succeeded in history. They failed now, and they will fail in the future," the Kremlin leader told supporters at his campaign headquarters
• Answering questions from journalists shortly after, Putin uttered Alexei Navalny's name in public for the first time in years. He said he had been in favour of a swap deal involving the opposition leader days before the jailed critic died in an Arctic prison last month
• As he boasted about his claim to a fifth term, Putin took the opportunity to criticise the "Noon against Putin" protests that took place in a number of Russian cities and at overseas polling stations
• Backed by Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnya, the protests saw Russians who oppose Putin's regime queue up at polling stations at midday to emphasise that many would like to see Putin removed from Russian leadership
• Navalnya, who cast her vote at the embassy in Berlin after what she described as a six-hour wait, thanked those who took part in protests today
• Across polling stations in Russia at least 80 protesters were detained for acts of vandalism. Reported incidents involved green dye being poured into ballot boxes on Friday, as well as fireworks being set off inside polling stations
• The results were shunned by Western governments, with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron accusing Russia of "not being interested in finding a path to peace"

Image source, Z14/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

BBC Russian

Azerbaijan is not the most popular country for those who left Russia in protest at the war in Ukraine, so the queue outside the embassy was not the longest.

But any public political event with 200 people participating without being dispersed by the police is really rare in Baku.

Police cars were still in place. Surprised Azerbaijanis walked past the protesters and asked what was happening.

When asked if it was "Noon against Putin" one girl in two stylish scarves said "yes". Someone else nodded, others turned away.

But people were eagerly filming each other, asking who was from where.

Oleg Boldyrev
BBC Russian, in Narva

Across the river from this Estonian border town lies Russia and the formidable Ivangorod fortress. It's one of a handful of places where the border between the EU and Russia is still open, even if it's only for foot traffic.

Thousands of Estonians are Russian citizens, in fact almost a quarter of them are and all they had to do to vote in the presidential elections was cross the bridge and head for the nearest polling station.

People we spoke to weren't exactly forthcoming. Many said they might get into trouble if they spoke their mind because backing Putin's war in Ukraine is very unpopular here.

But one local resident named Anna, told us she voted for Putin.

“He's closer to my viewpoint, I understand him. I have no doubts about him,” she said. “I think every president should care for his country and his people, I see this in Putin. I have a sister there, my husband's brother there, our relatives are buried there. To cut us apart is - painful.”

Their votes won't make any difference, as Putin's victory was a fact even before the vote started. But the feelings of Russians in this town on the edge of the European Union show the difficulties facing Baltic states which are nervously watching their giant neighbour to the East.

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Putin’s most vocal critic Alexei Navalny, voted in Berlin's Russian embassy earlier today.

Writing in Washington Post several days earlier, she urged the West to realise who the Russian president really was – a “gangster”.

“I urge you to finally hear the voice of free Russia and take a principled stand against him - to not recognise the results of the falsified elections, to not recognise Putin as the legitimate president of Russia,” she wrote in an op-ed last week.

She also argued that currently “too many people in the West still see him as a legitimate political leader” and seek “political logic” in his actions.

“This is a big mistake that breeds new mistakes and helps Putin to deceive his opponents again and again.”

In her closing remarks, she said the world must “finally realise that Putin is not who he wants to appear to be. He is a usurper, a tyrant, a war criminal - and a murderer.”

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Reuters

Vladimir Putin has been in power since 2000, longer than any Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

As he prepares for a fifth term as president, aged 71, all semblance of opposition is gone and there is little to stop him staying on, if he wants, until 2036.

And yet, it was almost by accident that this little-known, former KGB man was hand-picked for the Kremlin. A case of being in the right place at the right time in predecessor Boris Yeltsin's inner circle.

Vladimir Putin was a street-fighting boy whose early years were spent in a communal flat, or kommunalka, in communist Leningrad.

Although he appeared to embrace liberal, democratic Russia, he later described the chaotic collapse of the Soviet Union as "the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] Century".

Determined to prevent Ukraine from leaving Russia's orbit, he unleashed Europe's biggest war since World War Two, with a full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.

• You can read our profile on President Putin, in full, here.