Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures during a news conference after meeting with his staff at the campaign headquarters in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 18, 2018. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dodged a question about his plans after serving another six-year term he has won. Putin wouldn't be eligible under the constitution to compete in the 2024 election since there is a limit of two consecutive terms. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool photo via AP)
The Associated Press
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's crushing re-election victory puts his opponents in a tough spot.
They gathered widespread examples of apparent voting violations in Sunday's vote, but it's unlikely to seriously damage Putin given his widespread support.
With 99.8 percent of the vote counted, results showed Putin won almost 77 percent of the vote, well up from his showing in the last election in 2012.
His closest rival, communist Pavel Grudinin, had less than 12 percent. The only candidate to openly criticize Putin in the campaign, TV star Ksenia Sobchak, got less than 2 percent.
Putin's most serious foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was barred from the race. He clashed publicly with Sobchak on Sunday night, accusing her of being a Kremlin stooge.
Opposition groups plan a rally Monday in Moscow.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, left, discusses with Presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak, right, as they observe election progress at the Foundation for Fighting Corruption office, in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, March 18, 2018. An exit poll suggests that Vladimir Putin has handily won a fourth term as Russia's president, adding six more years in the Kremlin for the man who has led the world's largest country for all of the 21st century. (Evgeny Feldman/Navalny Campaign via AP)
The Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin waves after speaking to supporters during a rally near the Kremlin in Moscow, Sunday, March 18, 2018. Vladimir Putin headed to an overwhelming win in Russia's presidential election Sunday, adding six years in the Kremlin for the man who has led the world's largest country for all of the 21st century.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
The Associated Press