To the
West he is public enemy number one: snatching land from his neighbours,
interfering in foreign elections and unveiling weapons that he says
render Washington’s missile defence systems obsolete.
But despite —
or because of — his reputation abroad, Vladimir Putin is still widely
popular in Russia and is all but guaranteed to win a presidential
election this week with a landslide.
In part this is because over
almost two decades in power he has cracked down on dissent and
consolidated Kremlin control over the media.
The president’s most vocal opponent is also barred from appearing on the ballot on March 18 owing to a criminal conviction.
For
millions of Russians, however, …read more
Source: Gulf times
