Russia-Ukraine war live news: Moscow summons US envoy | Russia-Ukraine war News

Putin is all but certain to win his fifth election, and he announced his candidacy in December during a choreographed ceremony in a lavishly decorated Kremlin hall when talking to a separatist “colonel” from the southeastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.

“On behalf of all of our people, our Donbas, the lands that reunited [with Russia], I wanted to ask you to take part in this election,” Artyom Zhoga, clad in an impeccable uniform adorned with medals, told . . .