Vladimir Putin claims landslide Russian election victory

Russian president uses victory speech to say war in Ukraine and strengthening military will be his main tasks

Vladimir Putin has claimed a landslide victory in Russia's presidential vote, as thousands in the country and around the world protested against his deepening dictatorship, the war in Ukraine and a stage-managed election that could have only one winner.

In a vote denounced by the United States as obviously not free nor fair", Putin won 87% of the vote, according to exit polling published by the state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center and the Public Opinion Foundation.