BANGKOK, March 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s re-election stemmed in large part from the widespread displeasure among Russians with Western interference in Russia’s sphere of interests, Thai political scientist Jiraporn Ruampongpattana told TASS.

"The results of Russia’s presidential election are in line with what was expected. Significant political changes have taken place in Russia, which were crucial for the outcome of the vote. As the war in Ukraine continues, President Putin’s support among certain social groups may grow. Many Russian citizens are tired of Western interference, which is leading to a growing belief that the government really had to make a decision to protect Russia from NATO’s expansion in a military way in Donbass and [ensure] Ukraine’s denazification," she pointed out.

"The majority of Russian nationals still respect Putin, which is the result of a long military campaign that preceded the election. The situation in the conflict zone has been developing in a positive way for Russia after Ukraine’s counteroffensive was repelled. Russian forces have seized the initiative and started their own offensive. The taking of Avdeyevka by Russian troops was an important symbolic victory for Putin," the expert noted. She stressed that the Russian president had gained additional support in the country’s new regions, namely the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), Zaporozhye Region and Kherson Region.

Voting in Russia’s presidential election took place on March 15-17, making it the country’s first three-day election. Remote e-voting was available in 29, or about one-third, of Russia’s regions. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), with 100% of all ballots counted, Putin garnered 87.28% of the vote. Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) nominee Nikolay Kharitonov came in second (4.31%), followed by New People party nominee Vladislav Davankov (3.85%) and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) nominee Leonid Slutsky (3.2%).