As expected, Vladimir Putin won the Russian presidential election in a landslide, but some of his comments afterward were a bit of a surprise.
Garnering 87 percent of the vote, Putin is poised for six more years in office, Knewz.com has learned.
According to ABC News, Putin used his victory speech to call the results an example of his trust among Russian citizens.
Putin also said that Russia plans to strengthen the federation’s defense capabilities and issues of special operations.
The newly-elected president also said Russians in border areas — a reference to war-torn Ukraine — are staying strong amid the fighting and refuse to be intimidated.
Putin added that law enforcement officials will handle those fighting against Russia.
Putin also thanked the Russian people for their support in him.
Navalny Swap
While taking questions following his victory speech, Putin confirmed that a prisoner swap for Alexei Navalny — his biggest adversary at the time — was in place.
After an NBC News reporter asked about Navalny — who died in an Arctic prison under suspicious circumstances — Putin said that “several days before Mr. Navalny perished, I was told by some of my colleagues … that there is an idea to exchange Mr. Navalny for some people in prison in Western countries.
“Believe me or not, the person talking to me hardly finished their sentence when I said: ‘I agree.’ But unfortunately, the thing that happened happened,” he added.
Navalny’s family members and supporters claim that Putin had him killed to prevent the prisoner swap.
Russian officials claimed that Navalny went unconscious and fell before dying at a penal colony. They called the incident “sudden death syndrome.”
According to Putin, the proposed swap had one condition — that Navalny never returned to Russia.
“He said that an idea was put forward by one of the people about an exchange of Navalny, for which he potentially agreed and immediately told the person who put forward such an idea about this,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to state news agency Ria.
‘One Step’ from World War III
Putin also addressed the world’s turmoil following his re-election.
According to The Daily Star, Putin had a chilling response when he was asked about the possibility of a third world war erupting.
“I think anything is possible in today’s world and it’s clear to everyone that this would be one step from a full-scale World War III.” he said, referring to the possibility of Western troops on the ground in Ukraine.
Putin also addressed the United States’ upcoming election — which likely will be a rematch between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden — saying that Russia’s election is democratic while the U.S.’ is not.
“If you want my opinion in terms of whether our elections are democratic, I believe that yes, they are democratic whereas in some other countries, like in your country can you consider democratic when one side is using the justice machine in order to attack one of the candidates,” Putin said, likely referring to the criminal indictments against Trump, who has claimed are a product of Biden’s “witch hunt.”
Though Putin previously said he prefers that Biden wins in November because he is “predictable,” he said over the weekend that he has no preference.
“We do not have preference for any candidates in the US. We will work with anyone who is elected,” he said.
The post Putin Wins Re-Election, Confirms Navalny Prisoner-Swap Was Set, Announces Globe Is ‘One Step’ Away From World War III appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: David Wetzel
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