Putin asks voters in Russia and annexed Ukraine to unite

In his video remarks, Putin said all voters wanted to see a strong, prosperous and free Russia "in order to raise living standards and the quality of life. And that is how it will be". The very act of voting, Putin said, was a "demonstration of patriotic feeling". And this, he said, was particularly felt in areas of eastern and southern Ukraine now held by Russian forces - some since the launch of the Feb 2022 invasion, others taken over by Russian-backed separatists in 2014.