The only region to say 'nyet' to Putin in landslide victory

Nenets Autonomous District protest vote signalled anger over merger with Arkhangelsk region

• Critics say Russian vote that could allow Putin to rule until 2036 was rigged

Only one of Russia's 85 regions, a sparsely-populated patch of the Arctic known for reindeer herders, defied the Kremlin and voted against changes granting President Vladimir Putin the right to stay in power until 2036.

The former KGB officer, who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister, handily won the controversial plebiscite granting him the right to run for two more six-year terms after the current one ends in 2024. Critics have challenged the result, saying that the voting was rigged to produce a landslide.