“Although elections are a requirement of democracy and Putin himself has decided to hold them, theoretically it’s possible not to hold them,” Peskov said

“Because it’s already obvious that Putin will be elected,” Peskov said, adding that the statement is “absolutely [my] personal opinion.”

“Our presidential election is not really a democracy, it is costly bureaucracy… Putin will be re-elected next year with more than 90% of the vote,” Peskov said

“Mass anti-war protests are effectively outlawed under legislation passed in the wake of the Russian special military operation last year, and most prominent opposition activists have fled abroad in fear of being jailed,” the newspaper reported

In September of this year, Russia is scheduled to conduct elections that involve electing 18 regional heads, members of 16 regional parliaments, and 12 town councils. Additionally, the mayor of Khabarovsk in the Far East will be elected through a direct vote.

Furthermore, there are indications that Russia may also hold polls in the four Ukrainian territories it claimed to have controlled since last autumn.