Russian Presidential Election: A Referendum on Putin’s Leadership

"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," pronounced the United States. "Putin's day will surely be numbered. He'll lose power and he won't get to choose his successor," prophesized the United Kingdom.

Having proclaimed the Lord's name in vain, the duo's avowals have anything but taken hold of reality, one that portends a very different outcome.

Putin has them and their satellites to thank, for unleashing relentless sanctions in the delirious dream that they could crush the world's largest country. Instead of bringing Russia to its knees as contrived and fervently hoped, the sanctions backfired in more ways than one, magnetizing more Russians to their leader's side. Proving to his people once again that he is tried, true and tested, Putin has dexterously steered his country through an ongoing, arduous hour of unprecedented sanctions meant to inflict economic pain of the harshest kind on his countrymen.

Domestic support for Putin has visibly risen. His earnest call to his people at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in 2022 has duly been heeded. Instead of kowtowing to the West in trained colonial-style decorum paraded by others, Russians have chosen to pull up their bootstraps and weather the storm together. This, despite the unrelenting hiss of the ruthless gust. 

That Russians are quick to demonstrate trust in their leader amplifies a glaring contrast to countries whose people have grown increasingly cognizant of rulers who no longer serve their interests. This mounting awareness has not gone unnoticed by their government who spend their nights tucked in over their head concocting absurd and novel draconian laws to silence their critics. Woefully, by refusing to listen with authentic...