In his bid for another term, the Russian president is seeking the legitimacy of a contested vote without real democracy. It is a hard sell.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/world/europe/putin-russia-election.html
https://republic.ru/posts/89176
https://www.nzz.ch/meinung/kommentare/putin-hat-sein-land-in-eine-sackgasse-gefuehrt-ld.1351346
https://www.inopressa.ru/article/26Jan2018/nzz/putin.html
https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2018/01/25_a_11625751.shtml
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3532907
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3529417
http://www.rosbalt.ru/world/2018/01/26/1677462.html
http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=5A6B0C8514D6F