Defence Secretary Grant Shapps accused Vladimir Putin of behaving like "a modern-day Stalin" after the election in Russia saw the president tighten his grip on power following the stifling of any real opposition.
Mr Putin, who hailed his win as an indication of "trust" and "hope" in him, faced competition from only three candidates who had not criticised his rule nor his invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, independent monitoring of the election was extremely limited, with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe not invited to observe the three-day vote.
Lord Cameron tweeted: "The polls have closed in Russia, following the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory, a lack of choice for voters and no independent OSCE monitoring."Earlier on Sunday, before the exit poll, Cabinet minister Mark Harper also criticised Russia's elections. Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, a former secretary-general of Nato, said the West should not be intimidated by Mr Putin.
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