People are source of power in Russia: Putin in victory speech

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his victory speech, extended his gratitude to the citizens of Russia for their active participation in the recently concluded presidential election, state-controlled media reported.

Following the conclusion of the election, Russia’s Central Election Commission showed Putin securing a fifth term in office with over 87 per cent of the vote.

Speaking from the election headquarters, Putin emphasised the importance of every voice in shaping the destiny of the nation, Russia Today reported.

“I would like to thank citizens of Russia, all of them, because we are one team,” said Putin, acknowledging the collective effort of the Russian people in exercising their democratic right. “The source of power in a country is the Russian people and the voice of every citizen of Russia,” he added, underscoring the fundamental role of public participation in governance.

Reflecting on the significance of the election, Putin remarked, “Out of every voice, we are building one commonwealth of the people of the Russian Federation.” He stressed the role of citizen engagement in driving the country’s progress across various sectors, including defence, science, and education, as reported by Russia Today.

Amid challenging circumstances, Putin extended a special appreciation to the armed forces, acknowledging their dedication in safeguarding the nation’s interests. “I would like to express a special gratitude to our warriors, to those lads who are at the line of contact ensuring the conditions for the development and existence of our country,” Putin affirmed, highlighting the sacrifices made by those serving on the front lines.

Russia has finished voting in its seventh modern presidential election, spanning three days and including four new regions: Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk People’s Republics.

The recent election witnessed a historic turnout, with over 74 per cent of Russia’s 112.3 million eligible voters participating between March 15 and 17, according to the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) on Sunday. This level of engagement marks the highest in the country’s modern history, unmatched for over two decades, as reported by Russia Today.

Securing a crushing victory, Putin also said that he had agreed to a prisoner swap involving Alexei Navalny before the opposition leader’s sudden death in an Arctic prison in February.

Calling Navalny’s death a ‘sad event’, Putin said there were other cases of people in prisons passing away.

In his address at his election headquarters on Sunday, Putin said, “As for Mr. Navalny–yes, he passed away. It is always a sad event. And there were other cases when people in prisons passed away. Didn’t this happen in the United States? It did, and not once.”

Putin added that he was told of a proposal to exchange Navalny for prisoners held in Western nations days before the Opposition leader died in prison.

On February 16, jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died.