Vladimir Putin speaks for the first time since the polls in the presidential election have closed.

Appearing to confirm that he has won the presidency, he says his win will allow Russia to consolidate society and become "stronger and more effective".

"No one will ever suppress Russia when we are consolidated," he says.

"We are one, united family."

The Russian leader was greeted with chants of "Putin, Putin, Putin" from the crowd ahead of his speech

Get the latest updates in the Sky News live blog: https://news.sky.com/story/ukrainewa...

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos:    / skynews  
Follow us on Twitter:   / skynews  
Like us on Facebook:   / skynews  
Follow us on Instagram:   / skynews  
Follow us on TikTok:   / skynews  

For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/skyn... Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/

Sky News videos are now available in Spanish here/Los video de Sky News están disponibles en español aquí:    / @skynewsespanol  

To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/librarysales