Figures showing majority support for Vladimir Putin are an "utter fabrication" and show votes have been manipulated during the election, a Western expert has said.
Callum Fraser, Russian and Eurasian security fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said the vote abroad in comparison to the domestic vote "demonstrates the scale of vote manipulation that has taken place in Russia".
He said exit polls for voters outside of Russia showed election challenger Vladislav Davankov had secured the majority vote, with ballot spoiling often taking precedence over votes for Mr Putin.
"The expected results showing 89% support for Putin and 80% turnout are an utter fabrication. Some sources suggest Putin secured around 55% of the domestic vote," he said.
https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-war-news-putin-zelenskyy-latest-live-updates-12541713
