Russian media today said Vladimir Putin's growing standoff with the West had boosted the size of his election victory, while liberal journalists voiced fears over his stranglehold on politics.
"An absolute victory and a complete knockout for his opponents," pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda headlined its story.
The result deals a "crushing blow" to the West, the tabloid added, saying that "the worst nightmare of our Western 'partners' has come true."
Kommersant FM journalist Stanislav Kucher slammed the opposition in an opinion piece on its website, saying their failure to agree among themselves had helped Putin. "In Putin's place I would now hand them state awards."
Liberal media such as Vedomosti focused on the "problem of 2024", when Putin will be constitutionally barred from standing for a third consecutive term, saying: "There is no feeling that another six years will become Putin's last in power."
"Ahead is either passing power to a prepared successor or redoing the Constitution to preserve personal power," it wrote, saying that Putin faces "risks ahead."
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