To nobody’s surprise, Vladimir Putin was declared the winner of Russia’s presidential election, with over 87% of the votes cast. In his victory speech, he showed his confidence by mentioning Alexei Navalny by name for the first time, claiming that he had agreed to a prisoner exchange for him shortly before Navalny died in prison. The Kremlin dismissed accusations of Navalny's murder by his widow, Yulia, as false: Putin callously referred to his death as a part of life. The election saw a variety of protests, including pouring dye into a ballot box and setting off Molotov cocktails: Putin played down their impact. The election faced criticism internationally for lack of fairness; British officials condemned Putin's victory as undemocratic and likened him to Stalin. Despite this reaction, the election has solidified his grip on power and given him a mandate to pursue the war with Ukraine more actively.