PUTIN SCORNS US DEMOCRACY IN POST-ELECTION SPEECH

President Putin has mocked democracy in the United States following his inevitable landslide victory in Russia's presidential election, which is tightly controlled by the Kremlin.

When Russian election officials said results gave him more than 87% of the vote, Putin said Russia's democracy was more transparent than many in the West.

Taking questions from reporters, he hailed Russia's presidential campaign as far more advanced than the US, citing Russia's use of online voting, which officials said brought in eight million voters.

Putin had earlier been filmed performing a single keystroke to exercise his democratic right.

"It's transparent and absolutely objective," he suggested, "not like in the US with mail-in voting... you can buy a vote for $10".

Independent watchdog Golos was barred from observing the vote but reports of irregularities have emerged, as well as pressure on public sector employees to vote either in polling stations or onlineUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described Russia's presidential election as an illegitimate "imitation".

During his nightly video address, Zelensky said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was "drunk from power" and that there was "no evil" he would not commit to prolong his term.

"This person should be on trial in The Hague", he added.

For the first time, the national vote took place over three days (15-17 March).

Early voting also took place in the occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.

In Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, the commission has awarded Putin 94.12% of the vote, in Kherson 88.12, and in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia he was also given more than 90%.During questions from journalists shortly after his victory was announced, Putin uttered Alexei Navalny's name in public for the first time in years.

Opposition leader Navalny died aged 47 last month in a penal colony situated well above the Arctic Circle. He was serving a long prison sentence on charges of fraud, contempt of court and extremism, which were criticised as being politically motivated.

Putin said yesterday that he had been in favour of a swap deal involving Navalny days before he died.

This was the first time Putin has commented on the proposed deal and seemingly confirmed its existence. He said the only condition would have been that Navalny would never be able to return to Russia.

The Russian leader did not specify who Navalny would have been traded for, saying only "some people who are behind bars in Western countries".

Putin added: "But when things like that happen you can not do anything about it – that’s life."