'No Surprise': Russian Election Won't Be Free And Fair, State Dept Says

As Russia is nearing a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Vladimir Putin’s rule without potential challengers, the United States said on Monday that it wouldn't expect any surprise from the contest.

"I don’t think it should be a surprise to anyone in the world that this will not be a free and fair election," Spokesperson Matthew Miller told TURAN's Washington correspondent during briefing.

The voting will be held on March 15-17 and there is notably no candidate who opposes Putin’s policy including his war in Ukraine Boris Nadezhdin, previously the only anti-war figure in the field, was barred from the mraphon after authorities claimed he had not received enough legitimate signatures nominating his candidacy.

Putin signed a law in 2021 that allowed him to run for two more presidential terms, potentially extending his rule until 2036.