Vladimir Putin decisively re-elected as Russian president

Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to secure a resounding victory in the Russian presidential election, according to partial results made public by the electoral commission, RT reported.

Vladimir Putin is now leading with over 76 percent of the vote.

First-time Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin is running second with close to 12 percent of the vote, while veteran nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who first ran against Boris Yeltsin in 1991, rounds out the top three with about six percent.

Shortly after the first results were announced, Vladimir Putin addressed his supporters at a massive anniversary rally in Moscow’s Red Square.