Putin is certain to win the 2018 Russian presidential election.

Putin will win a knockout victory in the Russian presidential election.

The results of a public opinion poll recently published by the Russian Center for Public Opinion Research (VTsIOM) show that if the Russian presidential election were held this coming Sunday, President Putin would win overwhelmingly with 81.1% of the vote.

Pavel Grudinin, the candidate of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, received 7.6% of the vote. Meanwhile, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, representing the Liberal Democratic Party, garnered 4.2% of the vote. Several other presidential candidates received less than 1% of the vote.

A survey conducted last week showed that 67% of Russians polled said they would participate in the presidential election. 15% remained undecided, and only 3% stated they would not vote.

However, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party expressed disagreement with the poll results, stating that opinion polls conducted by their own parties are more reliable.

In particular, a telephone survey conducted by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation showed that 10% of Russians surveyed said they would vote for the party's candidate, Pavel Grudinin, who is running for president for the first time.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia has even more faith in its representative, even though Vladimir Zhirinovsky has run for the Kremlin five times, yet has never received more than 10% of the vote.

The Russian Central Election Commission has received more than 60 applications to run for president. Among them, on December 27th, President Vladimir Putin personally submitted his application for re-election.

At his annual press conference on December 14, 2017, President Putin announced that he would run for re-election as an independent candidate, not on a party list, but he hoped to gain the support of various parties and a large segment of the population.

The election will spark a flare-up of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

On December 18th, the Russian presidential election campaign officially began. Prior to this, the Russian Federation Council (Senate) approved the date for the presidential election as March 18th, 2018 – coinciding with the date of Crimea's annexation by Russia in 2014.

Russian media, citing diplomatic sources, warned of potential turmoil, with even strong actions from anti-Russian organizations in Ukraine during this period. Diplomatic sources expressed uncertainty about whether Russia would open polling stations in Ukraine due to security concerns.

The Russian Central Election Commission has advised its citizens currently in Ukraine to return home before the elections. The agency stated that "no one can guarantee the security of Russian citizens."

These concerns and warnings are not unfounded, given that the September 2016 elections for the State Duma (Russian lower house of parliament) witnessed strong opposition and violent protests in Ukraine.

Ukrainian police at the time struggled to control protesters who were trying to prevent Russian diplomats and citizens in Ukraine from voting.

The Ukrainian government has sent a diplomatic note to Russia, stating that elections for the State Duma cannot be held in Crimea.

In response, Russia declared, “Crimea is an integral part of Russia, and the decision to hold elections there is the prerogative of the Russian Federation. Kyiv’s decision violates social norms and the principles of civilized communication between nations. Ukraine is deliberately escalating tensions in bilateral relations.”

Diplomatic relations between Russia and Ukraine have been strained since 2014 when the Crimean Peninsula was re-annexed to the Russian Federation, and Kyiv has accused Moscow of involvement in the conflict in the eastern part of its neighbor.

This has led to escalating confrontation between Russia and the United States and the West. Since the annexation of Crimea, the United States and the European Union (EU) have maintained harsh economic sanctions targeting key sectors of Russia.

Moscow retaliated with agricultural and energy sanctions against the EU and the US. However, these reciprocal sanctions are a double-edged sword, causing severe consequences for both Russia and the Western powers.

74% of Russians are willing to vote for Putin.

A survey revealed that nearly 74% of Russians are willing to vote for Putin in the 2018 presidential election.

Putin is the inspiration for Russian youth.

President Vladimir Putin has become not only a source of inspiration but also the guiding spirit in the minds of many young Russians, who still see him as a strong candidate for the upcoming elections.