Overview

• Russia's Central Election Commission has closed the registration of candidates for the upcoming March presidential election, including President Vladimir Putin and three others.
• Anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin was barred from running due to alleged flaws in his signature collection, a decision he plans to challenge in Russia's Supreme Court.
• All registered candidates, including Putin who is running as an independent, support Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine.
• Putin, having been Russia's paramount leader since 2000, is expected to easily win the election.
• The war in Ukraine, referred to by the Kremlin as a 'special military operation,' is nearing its second year, resulting in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.