RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin looks almost certain to win as Russians head to the polls today.

If he does clinch victory once again, the 65-year-old will secure another six-year term after 18 years in power, in part based on his argument that he must stand up to Western aggressors.

In the lead up to the big day Mr Putin has been busy on the campaign trail as his country fights accusations of spy poisoning.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in the UK city of Salisbury on March 4 — which has set off a war of words between the two countries.

Russia has in turn accused Britain of igniting a new Cold War.

Mr Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a mushrooming diplomatic scandal over the poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain won’t disrupt Russia’s presidential vote.

Mr Peskov said the nerve agent attack on Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia “doesn’t affect” the campaign for the election, which he called Russia’s top priority.

The Russian President is widely tipped to win the vote with few serious political opponents and accusations from the critics that the system is set up to ensure Mr Putin’s success.

A revealing analysis by The Times reveals some of the methods, including massaging votes, which the Kremlin use to ensure victory under its system of “managed democracy”.

Mr Putin is not only widely popular but respected, something the Kremlin uses to its advantage.

Concerns also remain over the potential for fraud with the 2012 vote hit by election rigging with multiple people casting votes.

However, unlike the 2012 balloting when he often looked tense and nervous amid massive protests of his rule, Mr Putin faces no such threats this time, despite an anaemic economy and spiralling tensions with the West.

Polling company Levada predicts 58 per cent of the population will cast their vote and 61 per cent will vote for the current leader.

In fact, the only thing that could impact Mr Putin is a low voter turnout.

The Kremlin is concerned about voter apathy, with an uneventful campaign and a lack of competition to Mr Putin leaving many Russians uninspired.

Concerns over potential election fraud come as a Russian election monitoring group said authorities forced the closure of a centre created to collect complaints of violations in the presidential vote.

Roman Udot of the group Golos said in a statement that it signed a deal and paid for an election call centre but the landlords rescinded the deal under pressure from government officials.

The head of Russia’s electoral commission said she hopes that Golos finds a new site.

Ella Pamfilova was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying, “It is in our interest that everything works.”

PUTIN’S COUNTRY

Russians hold elections every six years with Mr Putin’s nationalistic stance being popular among his people.

Many Russians applaud his muscular stance with NATO and even with various western governments, including Britain.

He is also seen as someone who can protect them against the West.

The Russian President has been busy on the campaign trail in recent days, talking up his country’s credentials and winning over his people.

On Thursday, Mr Putin met with young scientists and entrepreneurs, promising to encourage new talent three days before the presidential vote.

He told the youth forum that “the country wants each of you to make it, and your personal success stories will make Russia successful”.

“Shall we ensure the country’s future together?” Mr Putin said, drawing shouts of “Yes!” and applause.

OPPOSITION NOWHERE

Putin faces real little opposition.

Alexei Navalny, whose supporters are seeking to observe the vote has been barred from the election because of a criminal conviction widely seen as politically motivated.

He has urged Russians to boycott the presidential vote.

Despite the President’s apparent popularity, many Russians remain apathetic to the election and the Kremlin hope 36-year-old reality TV star Ksenia Sobchak can lure people back to the polls and add legitimacy to the election.

“My popularity is huge,” the 36-year-old said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. “I’m the only person ... known to all Russian people like Putin.

“There is no one else in the country who is as well-known as me.”

Many of Mr Navalny’s supporters accuse Ms Sobchak of serving as a Kremlin-sponsored spoiler in the race.

During a rally on Thursday, Ms Sobchak declared her intention to create a new liberal party and said she would pool efforts with Dmitry Gudkov, a former politician and Kremlin critic.

Ms Sobchak has posed as a defender of liberal values and denounced Mr Putin’s policies.

However, many observers believe the Kremlin has given its tacit blessing for her to join the contest hoping that she would add an element of competition to the otherwise lacklustre race.