"We need you, Russia needs you!"

The sentence above was spoken to Vladimir Putin by a Russian soldier at the end of a ceremony held a week ago on the occasion of "Heroes of the Fatherland Day." The soldier's name is Artyom Zhoga. He is the "parliamentary" speaker of the self-proclaimed Donetsk region. This soldier is the man whom the Russian press wrote would go down in history for the proposal he made. Putin had no choice but to accept, and his response was: "The moment has come when a decision must be made. I will run for the presidency of the Russian Federation," he said. So far, so good. The communications experts on his presidential team deserve all the applause for coming up with a perfect strategy and scenario to announce Putin's presidential candidacy. 

A strategy full of symbols was followed. The first move that caught our attention was that Putin was asked to run; he did not announce his candidacy himself. The second move was a soldier asking him to be president. The third was that this soldier represented the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia. Through all these moves, the perception was created that the war would remain on the agenda in Russia and that the people in the annexed Ukrainian territories want Putin to be president. 

Putin will be a candidate for the 5th time in the March 2024 elections. He could remain at the head of the country for another six years until 2030, when he will turn 77. The elections will also be held in the four regions of Ukraine that Russia has annexed. Unless an extraordinary situation or another problem arises, it is not difficult to predict the outcome of the Russian elections.

Books, poems, and songs have been written about Putin, and there is no one left who has not heard his name. Many politicians and journalists compare him to a "postmodern Tsar," and describe him as a "Hitler without a mustache" or a "war criminal." The most recent comparison is European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen comparing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Islamist group Hamas. According to her, while Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to wipe Ukraine off the map, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is trying to wipe Israel off the map. However, despite all these negative comparisons, Russians love their president.

Data from various public opinion polls clearly show this. Even according to a survey published by the independent Russian Levada Center, which is labeled a "foreign agent" by Moscow authorities, approximately 85 percent of Russians support Vladimir Putin's decisions. His supporters say that Vladimir Putin "follows the right policy," "is a good leader," "works for the people," and that "voters have no other alternative."

To the question "Should the current president run for president again?" data from the Public Opinion Foundation shows that 33 percent said yes 4 years ago, 62 percent last year, and 70 percent this year. At the same time, Russians associate Vladimir Putin's personality with feelings such as trust, hope, peace, confidence in the future, pride, gratitude, sympathy, and love. 74 percent of Russians say that the president knows very well what concerns (troubles) the people and knows what the needs and interests of the people are. In Russia, Russian women feel a special sympathy and love for Putin. His photos, widely circulated by Russian and foreign media while fishing, exercising, riding horses, or entering icy water, paint an image of a strong and charismatic leader, reinforcing the idea of a personality cult.

Putin's popularity among Russians is high. Putin is also aware of this. He knows that in a country where the press is controlled and the opposition is suppressed, he does not need to work very hard to win the elections. Putin is aware that Russians will vote for him. His chances of winning will increase even more, as the echo of the article titled "Putin seems to be winning the war in Ukraine for now," published in the British magazine The Economist, was also heard in the Russian press. The article mentions the "shocking lack of strategic vision" of European powers. It mentions that Putin is winning this war because he has solidified his position in his own country. Russians are told that they are "locked in a struggle for survival against the West." While the West hesitates to act, Russia does not care about the losses it experiences every day. The difference in opinion between the West and Russia lies exactly here.

Over the years, the political regime in Russia has been compared to "more or less enlightened despotism," "an authoritarian regime and controlled democracy," and "managed democracy." If Putin wins the elections, he will continue to pursue domestic policy in the same way, and foreign policy perhaps even more aggressively.

Putin has a mission, a goal. Through a right-wing and conservative ideology, he will act according to the idea that Russians are a "chosen people" and have a mission (messianism) to teach humanity a lesson. Against a unipolar world, he will continue to support the idea of nationalism with imperialist overtones.