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Vladimir Putin Announces He’s Running For Reelection

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Topline

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he’s going to run for a fifth term as president of Russia—all but certainly extending his nearly quarter-century long reign of power with elections widely considered illegitimate.

Key Facts

Putin announced his reelection bid at a military awards ceremony in the Kremlin televised on state media, multiple outlets reported.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin’s announcement, which was made in response to a question from a military official, was spontaneous, according to state media.

Putin wasn’t looking at the camera when he made the announcement and microphones barely caught his muffled words, Reuters reported.

The election, which many believe Putin is almost certain to win, comes as the Kremlin is seeking to portray broad support for its war in Ukraine and demonstrate strength and stability after an attempted military coup in June, according to Bloomberg.

The election is set for March 17.

Key Background

Putin initially became president in 2000 after Boris Yeltsin—the first president of Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union—stepped down. He has since served four terms as president and one term as prime minister, making him the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Joseph Stalin. He reportedly won his most recent election in 2018 with 77% of the electorate, though experts generally view elections in Russia as fraudulent. In February 2022, Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine, seeking to topple the country’s leadership and install a pro-Kremlin government, a move that was met by international condemnation. That has turned into a prolonged war that’s currently in a stalemate. Putin recently fended off what many observers considered the most serious threat to his power when Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, attempted an apparent military coup, which abruptly ended as his forces approached Moscow. Progozhin died in a mysterious plane crash in Russia two months later.

Surprising Fact

Recent changes to the Russian constitution mean that Putin could stay in office another two terms, until 2036.

Further Reading

Putin Declares Wartime Reelection Run at Meeting With Troops (Bloomberg)

Putin sends message to world with 'spontaneous' election announcement (Reuters)

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