MOSCOW, March 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Russia's electoral commission said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin's "record" re-election result showed the country was united behind the longtime leader.

Official results from the three-day ballot, in which all credible opposition was barred, show 71-year-old Putin winning a landslide with almost 76 million votes.

"This is a record figure," electoral chief Ella Pamfilova said after more than 99 percent of votes had been counted.

"The turnout is a record -- an unprecedented 77.44 percent. This has never happened in the history of the new Russia," she added.

"We proved to ourselves that we are an independent nation ... and in the face of the West we showed that we are united. We are proud of this," she said.

Putin was all but guaranteed to win re-election, having silenced or imprisoned all his major opponents.

The Kremlin had cast the election as a moment for Russians to throw their weight behind the full-scale military operation in Ukraine, now in its third year.