set out is there is most i last available in your favorites apps to just set for it and type to move the new app from out to 0 new at using is it the protein is running for fits and rushes presidential election. the war and ukraine is entering, it stood yeah, not home. he's accused of cracking down on political opponents. so what, what another 6 he is a pollutant mean for russia. this is inside story, the hello there on james bays. russians are heading to the polls to elect to president for the next 6. he is. if lot of it putting wins as is widely expected, it'll be his 5th term in office. critics describe him as a ruthless dictator. supporters say he's the resilient leader of russia needs.

however, his policy is a shifting alonso is an altering most goes ties with your and the us. that's the invasion of ukraine, nuclear threats and the changing world rolled up. so we'll put in defined, rushes, future for years to come. and this has political vision align with the countries long term interests will explore all these issues with all panel in a moment. but 1st, this report from katya lucas hold, are you on the latitude in has been in power for decades and is all but guaranteed another presidential term that you were there for years. he's energized supporters and terrified critics. and now, as he looks towards another 6 years in office, he's calling for patriotism amid of the war and holding a vote in occupied territories of ukraine. cultural pm, which is to let me be very clear, the participation in the election is the manifestation of patrick take sentiment,

the residence of don't bass, and never see a well aware of that as a vote for unification with russia. in the harshest conditions. more than a 114000000 russians are eligible to cast their ballots. 2 years after russia invaded ukraine, many are hoping the fighting will end more to produce. no, maybe life will get better. maybe they'll be peace and people will stop dying. i lost my son in the will he some attribute pollutants political dominance to election irregularities and crackdowns on descent. the former k g b agent has centralized power and beta, georgia, and ukraine, and threat to nuclear war with western nations. supporters find his strong man policies attractive, and even critics admit he's managed to keep rushes economy afloat. despite why spread sanctions against him which is offered through my school. life is good. we live in the center of moscow. when we have a country house, we have a nice kind of good pension. this is a major factor, analysts say is pollutants,

ego. formidable challengers have been forced out of the running. and one of his most outspoken critics, alexi nev, only died last month. despite skepticism about free and fair elections, analysts say put a need. so when to validate this policy need, we are not expecting a good outcome. like always, everything will be bad. well, some voters may be ready for change. an entire generation has never known of russia without food, and it just depends on where the people i've seized power in my country, and i've had a grip on it for the last 25 years. why should i leave the country? it's time for them to leave or go to prison or put in is already rushed as long as serving leaders. this joseph stalin, and constitutional changes he promoted in 2020, could see him hold office until 2036 capielo pacific. again, i'll do 0 for insights. story let's meet

today's guest on the program in moscow. dmitri babich, a russian journalist with more than 30 years experience. he's coming to 8 to russian elections in washington, dc and a to leave and the director of the razor program at the quincy institute of responsible state croft and also several books about russia and its neighbors. and in london, it's alex on the tax and the founder of the global political insight fink turn cars, research specializes in russia and format soviet states saying to all of you for joining us as we preview the russian election. and i've covered many of elections around the world and often then nail biting things off, and it's too close to coal. i'm afraid right now, dimitri, i think i can call this one. i think the next president of russia is going to be cold, latham it puts in, would you agree? uh, uh, well, uh, i agree with you, but i still think it is an order. and uh, we can see the buyer. so in direct and you gave this,

i mean ben while talked about the selection in the media, i brought them all nervous and assumed that media also there is a lot of important subscribe to here. and uh, least know, was about the least uh, the ukrainian strikes old business, the premium, the site is starting to the importance of that portion of ass in russia by increasing the amount of are all the gold strikes. obviously, going to be to show that our president does not absolutely successful, right. there's not a secure got you. so someone cares about the details of the selection of the outcome. i agree with you. uh, most likely a, by the way we are, they think it's a very important that'd be a side grab a side one day to do the reference. do more. because if you are really against the wall, you can stay from what would you know, you can go with the gains,

someone else. so then the body to you, i think every one of the staff that this is your position. well, the main but need to do it. randall the last i would say 30 years and that was the decision to stop is so many transportation to bring some of this. i would think alexandra is about the kremlin, trying to show the legitimacy of the government in moscow. let me read you a tweet that i read earlier wrong. just a couple of hours ago from the european council. president shaw michelle. he said, i would like to congratulate platinum in putting on his landslide victory in the election starting today. no opposition? no freedom, no choice. if it's about legitimacy, then that does really well, does it if it's a robust done collection? well, not from the company's point of view, it's really a lot because in addition to what you, it comes to the criminal, it wants to show unit, see, it puts you in. it has frequently spoken about the fact that russia is united

because policies are behind the war in ukraine. so can you still watch that? once again, show the decision to invade ukraine back into it? does it do? was a decision that is supported by the majority of reference and there is um, a somewhat of a difference here between to support and the um, the direction that the rest of the people once a day grew up within this um, within this war. so for example, uh, put in is generally both of the in russia, there was a pole in february of this year showing that his ratings uh, somewhere around 86 percent. which stuff because the sky high. so he is generally very, very popular, and he wants to show that in an election so that firstly, people within russia will know about indeed the cause that he gets taken has a vice for support among the population. but he also wants to show it to the people outside of russian, typically in the countries in the west to essentially say,

look, you might not be happy with me, but the people that live in the country that i rule, that in favor of what i'm doing so you better get used to it, and that's all they're all actually full of people on the list. the people can vote for pushing is just one of them. but we know that putin, we've already said it is, is going to wait and just explain a little bit about the system and how you get to be a candidates in russia as well. yeah. you, you register you, you need, um, a, you know, a certain number of signatures uh which, which then allow you to become a kind of just, um and then uh, if you are a serious candidate as one who will say in public things that are embarrassing to the regime your disqualified on a variety of spurious grounds such as happened to my guest and it was the only would be serious the position candidates in the selection. uh so uh it's

you know, as my colleagues have said, this is not an election. it's a, it's a propaganda directs the size, which is a very important or propaganda exercise for food and demonstrating the yes, i mean, the solidarity of society behind at least that's what he wants to demonstrate. would you agree with that dimitry? i mean, some might say that the real opposition candidates in russia are either enact, saw in prison all that dead. well, i don't think there are very strong opposition candidates who can change food. you know, the, i don't think even if i said in the life these people are wrong, that you would be a serious threat to provide a bit to just uh, even pull its various needs propaganda exercise. i work for the ladies side. uh,

but uh there is such a thing, you know, in the, in the, in world history not going to the so for example, in cross i, yes, you tried all the steps of the fall, but she conducted the play besides, you know, people supported, she supported see the majority to the french supported it, and that was the base of his power, the same story with the fulton. and i'm afraid of uh, west you don't want to make that happen. for example, the, me personally. just recently i watched a speech with the bonus for the news, the swap, she quoted that 20 pounds. so he was not what is your ultimate team? and you said 3 months old. sure. and that's why not why the baby's just successor will be. you want more even more nationalistic out there with them and see what you said, that's going to be true. what you will have less power. and if you have less power

that successful him, then he will be less of a problem for us, you know. and then uh, you know, supports the phone because he's a we, we can rush other fresh coffee. it was a fred. well, and so i don't know why is my sense uh, do i want to rush it to be a problem for us? well, she for emergencies. yes. i wonder i should to be strong. okay. one pressure to be able to defend itself. so maybe even if i were not concerned except be with the personal one of the i will vote which you precisely be was i was to russia to be able to defend himself. it'd be po, that is a very powerful sentiment that the interest people to go to contribute, especially the young. you know that the big chip provided by the west of media that all these a little while support good users. oh, i think the best generation for the web people in there, so it isn't for just who saw all the opportunity just given by the market. you

quoted me. the older people will stop put to the mind because they may be grateful, duplicate for read, establishing some kind of more in the coffee and the young people. i know just a very, very i sent you mentor. gotcha. they don't believe in the future democracy. they believe in strong, right? that's gonna be separate. so they may want to talk with them besides before the fees because and you are succeeding in what the week or whatever that's all that should be to get them organized society and alexander, dimitri calls it a plebiscite. that means i suspect that turn out is a key figure to turn out is important. turnout was 67.5 percent in 2018, but there was a protest plan die on the stand that called noun against putin. when protest is a trying to use to announce as well, to get as many people to posting stations at one moment,

12 noon on sunday. and i've told it may have even been a tactic endorsed by like, seen about me before his death. what do you make of, of that idea or whether it will have any impact? oh yes, you're right. before his best, alex and i finally did indeed post on his social media pages, asking to support us to come out at 12 pm on sunday as a protest vote following his that it was his wife. you didn't have, i, larry who essentially made the same announcement to, you know, to the, to the position in russian, asking them to, to come out at 12 pm and either write down alex in about his name on the ballot. or just, you know, but really the volatile or do anything you want as long as you're out at 12 pm. now, that would say a couple of things about this. first of all, broadly speaking, of course, they will not have any effect on the outcome of the election high, but from that position point of view, they want to do this to show the russians and to the people outside of russia.

there is some a position like in russia because there is a general consensus of cause the, there's no, you know, the united a position in the country. and so from, from the police report of you, they want to show a look. we asked, yeah, we do exist, don't consider russia to be just 100 percent behind present. so that's, that's one, but that's one issue. but the same time, i don't foresee a large number of people coming out of that at 12 pm. so even if some people do want to do that, that's because the fee factor is, is quite important. that to, you know, there's, there's been a lot of refreshments in, in russia recently, especially after the start of the war. we've been a lot of arrests and it's um, well it's not likely that many people will really risk coming out. come out, this is fine. we'll reduce of the fear of being arrested. okay, i'd like to add a little bit of context at this point and look back a lot of it pollutants rise to power. he was 1st elected president in 2000 and re

elected in 2004 in 2008. the constitution bought him for running for 3rd consecutive to so he's appointed prime minister and effectively remained rushes political leader around again in 2012, off the changes to the constitution extended the presidential term from 4 to 6 years. tens of thousands of people protested on the provisional gratian. but in 2018 he was re elected once again. and if he wins this time around to, to most of the 6 years, and then 2030, he'll be eligible to run again. if he wins, then he could be in power until 2036, when he will be 183 years old on adult. i'd like to also look at pollutants for tunes in the last couple of years because of the war. and ukraine is a key fact to that a my assessment, i don't know if you agree with me is full chains of have improved

a great deal in the last year. the weather. yes, they are indeed because the initial invasion was uh, extremely badly bundled in, um, in terms of a permit and then come on. uh and also it was very much, uh, the decision of which and i'm just small group around and that was not certainly not at that stage a consensus in the russian establishment or leads of behind this war. and as a result, russia suffered some very serious defeats in the 1st year of the war. but since then, 2 things have happened on the 1st is of the state of the military position. so russia has improved the economy has done remarkably well. obviously through energy sales, but also tricks treating the good you cannot make management, it's not seems that they'll also proving able to control inflation. and this has

actually led to an economic boom of so many industrial areas of russia which have been very depressed over the past generation. it's being called military kenzie and there's some what the other thing is that a, a z the involvement of the west and the war from the ukrainian side in terms of supplies. and the language of western leaders about which a quoted radicals. pete, for example, has really usually suggested to russians convinced many russians, but yes, indeed, the west is out a twin size of total defeats on russia and ukraine. this is what the ukrainian cycled piece, dining dos by the west amends to and that the goat is not just the defeat of russia

and ukraine, but it is also as a result to cripple or even destroyed the russian state. and that's all i like that i'd like to bring up the all the, the other side of this, if i, if i'm a with you, which is the huge russian death told me that no one scope the accurate figures. but you look at the estimates and they write them a huge range, but they will show a massive loss of life between 60020000 people killed. and i compare this earlier to the number of people that are pointed to a died and tons of russian soldiers in 10 years. this is in 2 years in the soviet war, and i've got to stop now. i know you covered that war. that was just 16000. i mean, you would think there's a big political cost for any lee, but what i need or whatever the system, if you have that many debts, well, if you start losing, then yes, a box. if the unit, if the conviction is the defeat, will mean ruin. and if you can pay and supply your searches and

the population is more or less behind you, then as we've seen again and again in many was populations of prepared to accept are remarkably high casualties. now is the west west to offer a compromise piece? then we don't know how the russian population would react. i think that is pushing was seen to be trying to continue a loss of total victory when there was an honorable and decent way. and then perhaps you would see much more on these and even opposition within rusher and encouraging interruption. that leads. but we haven't done that and uh, established um, you know, like the american war and i got his son forwarded rocco. yeah. and then i was not

seen by soviet society as a truly vital and existential war. the russia, this war is broken off. you alexander, about this. and the, the perceived wisdom normally is that the opposition are strong in the cities and the regions where putin is much stronger. but i'm right in saying on ty, but many of the conscripts to being sent to ukraine does come from moscow in st. petersburg. so could things be a bit different than the selection? well, here's an interesting uh oh uh, but keep mileage just recently. as i mentioned just just the previously questions. but collaborative aging is around 86 percent kind of a recent independent people also showed that 75 percent of russians support which in signing a to go magic agreements to, to end the war and the such agreement with the design tomorrow. then you know,

since 5 percent of the respiration boot approve. well, what does that tell me? that broadly as, as my colleagues explain, russia does support the whole, the concept of the voice. you lied, that this has been added to the view this as an existential one. is not just against ukraine, but i a close by was at the same time, due to the fact that the is you mention that it being a lot of that some casualties on the russian side. there is a broad interest and desire from, from the russian population to see it answered as well. um, no, of course, on russia's times, but nevertheless, the, there is no appetite at the moment in russia to continue it as well and indefinitely. of course, one reason is that the machine is the casualties and the best, but of course they, they cannot make side of it as well. even though the west and sanctions against russia have failed to destroy the russian economy. but the, the budget,

the russian versus state is it is going towards the war, which means that of course, the budget is limited when it comes to the education to go into development, health care, etc. and of course, that's up in the long time. no, of course, was the dresser can, can, can handle such, such economic pressures. at the moment, the longer the will goes on, the longer the more the, the people in russia. and we'll feel that it's in fact, dmitri, one of the key figures in the early stage of the war was you have got any progression of the head of the wagner group. it was less than a year ago. the 23rd of june, last year, when he launched a rebellion marching on moscow, he died. many suspect the criminal in there's no proof of that proof of that. now you have alexi, nevada, in the, in the last month who has died. how do you see these, these 2 deaths in the context of pollutants power in russia right now and how

things have changed in the last year? oh i think really good piece is one, but you well that i thought i'd be asleep was uh basically a very bad the you see, you need to know whether it was not so bad to receive the wage. i think the main theme is still and i agree with the b, b is to speakers. and that is all the people that i think i'm going to pulled up. those are the groups food is yeah, to roll. that may be a certain portion of russian society would not approve the start of the you know, that when most people have consult with that. but now the majority of what they read to and the ones really honest is jobs. which means that the feed for us. so there is a kind of a consensus that these will work a lot and with roger dc,

this is something that the web absolutely requires past which have these data us. and these idea that the war should not, with the rest of the feed, it is solely what the situation, the people are ready to shut their eyes just on a very seemly things happening. the reason why i think people are not paid so much attention as the west except expected. there is a real key didn't complain. well, the wind new side. i mean let me just go to the cold war in the news weeks of magazines. uh, you know, to these yeah, inside that you bring in to machine. so the, you know, sort of just to high the fact that the assessing the people that they do a rash or the assessing nathan donna do get that the sites or maybe it was open.

they noticed a big move time to develop a such a new be kind of go see the option of people who are not the west, but what reveal it matches the hutto most of the time. yeah. so basically, when you have uh nations which would have been approved by the party just, you'll pay less so dentist to, to show you the story in which it is not clear what state wait. and you also can exactly about that. and that's all, what do you think vladimir putin wants to achieve? we assume he'll be elected in the next 6 years. as i always say, you have to ask him. i mean, that's why i advocate the west trying to initiate a piece towards a pollution has made clear that russia will not withdrawal from the territories. it not multiplies in ukraine, and it doesn't look possible not for ukraine to,

to full structure right militarily. but what that means in practice, what demilitarization means in, in practice, in ukraine, what exactly russia is demanding. what the notification means. we don't know. we do know that an absolute russian condition is that ukraine shouldn't be bob, some joining nato. the, the only way to explore pigeons precise goes in, in ukraine, is to open negotiations with him. but clearly, i mean, one thing is pushing is determined not to be seen to lose and not to lose to achieve what can you know, what, what, what time of the cold of victory and in ukraine that i, by no means i think, indicates that off to that as president macro, i would say of surgery is, suggest just today or yesterday. and that person will then go on to attack romania

and po, to the not as nonsense of the russia has no interest in that. preaching has repeatedly stressed the russia has no interest or intention because the, the risks would be come also compared to, to any gains. so russia about in ukraine, the boots in is determined to prevail, have fall, prevail? well, that we should try to explore. i mean, we will explore it, we will explore it going forward. thank you very much. to all 3 of you. we'll see about guest. dimitri babich. i'm gonna to leave and on alex on the claxton. ouch. is there a little have extensive coverage of the election from all teams in russia, and you can find more context and the loudness on the out. is there a website which is are adult calm? what are your views on russian coaching? go to our facebook page at facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you'll also find this on the former twitter now x at

a j inside story for me, james space and the team here in dough hall, please stay safe. i'll be back in this thing very soon, bye for now. the in this conservative thoughts of hydra bugs, a boxing club is encouraging women with that huge job to come entry. boxing academy was founded at the 1918 as a male on the books in club. the coach at john ahmed opened it up for women in 2019 off to the international boxing association announced by just could where they had jobs in the ring. part just about what comes in that account. i'm assuming that a funeral is our printer. click on it as a video. so let's go back to the camera is out of it. just give us a better because it any different people inside of that account for the the,

the just 2nd i very, this is human appeal has been making the most of your mfc, our team successfully deliver your charity to those who need it most across the mostly mild, we are feeding, building, caring, tooling, planting, fuel refined, teaching, and helping transform lives. this is messy inaction. this is human appeal, a sort of 10 year journey, in which it has become the most important translation award from. i'm into the how to rubik language world wide shade come out. award for translation and international understanding. unknown. see is the opening of the nomination period for the year 2024. starting march 1st. to may. 30 fast nominations are made on the award official website, w, w, w dot h t, a dot q a forward slash

e m. the robot to send this is out to 0, live from dough, and these other top stories is really prime minister. benjamin netanyahu has dismissed the latest these 5 proposal by homeless, but his office as a delegation, will visit cutoff to continue negotiations for the release of his where the captain's on us is calling for the withdrawal of israeli troops as well as a complaint the cx. 5, now did you know who's also approve the armies planned for an operation in the rough and southern gaza? where 1500000 palestinians are sheltering? united nations is warning against any. is there any minute.