President Putin has claimed a landslide victory in an election that featured no genuine competition. The last day of voting was marked by silent protests at polling stations.

But how does his expected victory matter? And what might securing a fifth term mean for the war in Ukraine? Lyse and Vitaly are joined by the BBC’s Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.

Today’s episode is presented by Lyse Doucet and Vitaly Shevchenko.The producer was Arsenii Sokolov. The technical producer was Rohan Madison. The series producer is Tim Walklate. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.Email [email protected] with your questions and comments. You can also send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram to +44 330 1239480

You can join the Ukrainecast discussion on Newscast’s Discord server here: tinyurl.com/ukrainecastdiscord