Grozny: The leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya has marked his landslide re-election this weekend in a manner that somehow seemed befitting.

To no one's surprise, Ramzan Kadyrov was ahead with about 98 per cent of the vote after a partial count of ballots from Sunday's election was announced.

Rights groups accuse Mr Kadyrov, in power since 2007, of ruling the Muslim-majority republic with an iron fist as a loyal lieutenant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2011 parliamentary elections, about 99.48 per cent of Chechnya's vote went to Putin's ruling United Russia party. Their relationship is not dissimilar to that of a feudal lord and his vassal.

Maybe that's what Mr Kadyrov had in mind when he showed up at a ceremony on the evening of the vote clad in a suit of medieval armour, with a conical helmet, a longsword strapped to his waist and a spear in his hand.