What did Putin say after the spectacular victory?

According to preliminary figures from the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC), with 97% of the votes counted, Putin is leading the Russian presidential election with 76.6% of the vote. With this result, Putin has been re-elected president of Russia with an overwhelming majority over the other candidates.

Upon receiving these results, the Russian leader expressed his gratitude to all his supporters and voters, emphasizing that the election results showed that the Russian people had supported his political path despite the difficult times Russia had gone through.

Speaking to reporters and journalists, Putin also emphasized: "Success awaits us. Together, we will accomplish great things in the name of Russia."

When a reporter asked whether they would see "the old Putin or the new Putin" in the next six years, Putin smiled and replied, "Everything changes. We all change."

"It is important to maintain this spirit of solidarity. We must think about the future of our great Fatherland," Putin said before asking the crowd to chant: "Russia!". He added that there would be difficulties ahead, but Russia had the opportunity to achieve a breakthrough.

The Russian leader also smiled when asked whether he would seek re-election in 2024. "Just think about it, do you think I'll be in power until I'm 100 years old?", he said.

Russia has 97,000 polling stations, 400 of which are located abroad. More than 108 million people in Russia and nearly two million Russians living abroad are eligible to vote in this year's election. The Deputy Chairman of the CEC stated that voter turnout was over 67%. A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that a record number of Russian expatriates voted at diplomatic facilities abroad, but did not provide specific figures.