In his first public comments on the poisoning, Mr Putin on Sunday referred to the allegations against Russia as "nonsense". Moscow has denounced both cases as efforts to interfere in the Russian election. With ballots from 80% of Russia's precincts counted by early Monday, Mr Putin had amassed 76% of the vote. Mr Putin extolled them for their support - "I am a member of your team" - and he promised them that "we are bound for success". In his next six years, Mr Putin is likely to assert Russia's power abroad even more strongly.

Source: Irish Independent March 19, 2018 03:00 UTC