French foreign ministry: Russian elections took place in context of repression in civil society

The re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin took place in a context of repression within civil society and the conditions for a free and democratic election were not respected, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also praised in the statement the courage of "the many Russian citizens who peacefully protested against this attack on their fundamental political rights."

President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine.