Putin pegged to be the winner
Though the confirmation hasn’t been made official yet, Reuters reported that Putin enjoys 80 per cent approval ratings.
With no opposition leader rallying that much support, and the supposed support from the state, Putin is pegged to be the clear winner.
“The decision has been made – he will run,” one of the sources who has knowledge of planning told Reuters.
Kommersant newspaper also reported, citing a source, that a formal announced would made with a few weeks.
Another source told Reuters that Putin’s advisers were preparing for his participation and that Putin has made his mind about the presidential elections.
“The world we look out upon is very dangerous,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.
Official confirmation awaited
There has been no official confirmation from the Kremlin till now, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in September that if Putin decided to run, then no one would be able to compete with him.
The reports of Putin running for president come at a time when rumours about his purported ill health have been raging since the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Kremlin has dismissed reports that Putin was unwell as disinformation spread by the West.