Good morning. It will not shock you to learn that Vladimir Putin has just been reelected as the president of Russia.
The election that took place over the last three days was a foregone conclusion even before the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In his victory speech last night, Putin sought to present western criticism of the process as the predictable response of Russia’s enemies: “What did you want, for them to applaud us? They’re fighting with us in an armed conflict,” he said last night. “Their goal is to contain our development. Of course they’re ready to say anything.”
