DESPITE despot Putin's "win" in his sham election over the weekend, Russians voting in Britain overwhelmingly rejected the tyrant's rule.
Thousands of exiled Russians voted in London and two thirds of them chose to give the winning ticket to Putin's competition in a humiliating blow for the dictator.
One of his opposing candidates, Vladislav Davankov, was given 57 per cent of the UK Russian vote, while Putin only chalked up 21 per cent.
Only one in five of the 3,200 voters picked Mad Vlad and more than 20 per cent of ballots were spoiled in protest of the shambolic display.
Back in police state Russia, none of the three token candidates running against him stood a chance.
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In a smug victory speech at his campaign HQ in Moscow last night, Putin claimed to have genuinely won over 87 per cent of the vote.
And the manic dictator, 71, will now keep his iron grasp on power until at least 2030.
No one doubted Putin would easily cruise to victory in the so-called elections, which made a mockery of any real attempt at democracy.
Just three candidates were allowed to stand against him - none of which oppose his brutal war in Ukraine.
Russia's constitution originally states that presidents can serve no more than two consecutive six-year terms.
But in 2020, power-hungry Vlad drew up an amendment exempting himself from term limits until 2036 - by which time he'll be 83.
Beyond the warping of the constitution, and the fact that voters had virtually no choice, independent monitoring of the election was also extremely limited.
Despite this, some brave Russians protested the election by destroying ballots and even throwing petrol bombs at booths.
And at embassies across the world where Putin's rule is weaker, people were able to rise up even more defiantly when going to vote.
They turned out in their thousands, brandishing banners including one that read: "He is not a president & this is not an election".
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A blood-red poster in Georgia said: "Enough Putin. Lies, War, Repressions."
And a huge effigy in Berlin showed the despot in a bathtub, painted in Ukrainian colours, washing himself with blood.
The Russian embassy in London was no exception.
Dozens of protestors crowded the street outside on Sunday to express their rage.
Powerful signs read "Russia without Putin", "Do not let misery win", and some were written in Russian.
One person even showed up dressed in prison stripes and handcuffs, with a mask of Putin over their face.
Brave citizens in Russia gathered on the final day of voting at midday as part of a "Noon against Putin" march called for by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny before his death last month.
His plan was that people would show up nationwide to the polling stations at the same time and spoil their ballots, or vote for another candidate, drawing attention to widespread discontent.
Navalny's wife Yulia echoed his calls for the brave movement, joining throngs of protestors in Berlin herself to do the same thing at the Russian embassy yesterday.
Around 75 Russians were arrested on Sunday after their bold attempts to take a stand.
In a brazen ignorance of the international community's horror, Putin thanked Russians for their "trust" and "support" after claiming victory just hours later.
Anyone who has had even a remote chance of taking on the deranged tyrant has been thrown in prison, banished to exile or killed.
He has introduced the harshest stamping of opposition in Russia since Soviet Times - and is using his immense power at home to grab more in Europe.
After two years of his failing and illegal war in Ukraine, Putin continues to regurgitate garbled propaganda about the country belonging to Russia.
The dictator leered yesterday that "no one can suppress us" and that the Kremlin would "defeat" all its enemies.
International heads of state, military experts, academics and army chiefs have been warning the world for months now that his land-grab likely won't stop with Ukraine.
And he again warned the world could even be led to the brink of World War 3 if Western troops dare to enter Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron blasted the results today, stating: "These Russian elections starkly underline the depth of repression under President Putin's regime, which seeks to silence any opposition to his illegal war."
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also accused Vladimir Putin of behaving like “a modern-day Stalin” who "stole" the election.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky branded Putin "sick for power" as his troops continue to fight against Russia's forces.
The war-time leader added: "It is clear to everyone in the world that this figure, as it has already often happened in the course of history, is simply sick for power and is doing everything to rule forever.
"There is no legitimacy in this imitation of elections and there cannot be.
"This person should be on trial in The Hague. That's what we have to ensure."
Putin's fellow despots rushed to congratulate him on Sunday evening.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was among the first to toast Putin on his “decisive” win in the election.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a congratulatory message to Putin, stating that his re-election “fully reflects the support of the Russian people".
Beijing's foreign ministry also hailed the "continuous development of China-Russia relations in the new era".
Close Putin ally Kim Jong-un - who has provided Putin with vast supplies of munitions for the war in Ukraine - sent "congratulations" to Putin via his embassy in Russia this morning.
