It was no accident that Russia held Sunday’s presidential election on March 18, the fourth anniversary of the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. The election served as a theatrical affirmation of the domestic strength of Vladimir Putin’s presidency in the same way that the seizure of Crimea affirmed its strength on the international stage.
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Tony Barber: No hope of liberal reform in Putin’s Russia
People listen to presidential candidate, President Vladimir Putin during a rally and a concert celebrating the fourth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow on March 18.
