Russia began three days of voting on Friday in an presidential election that is set to extend the rule of Vladimir Putin by six more years. Two years into the war in Ukraine, Putin dominates Russia’s political landscape and none of the other three candidates on the ballot paper presents any credible challenge. The Kremlin says Putin, in power as president or prime minister since 1999, will win because he commands support across society for rescuing Russia from post-Soviet chaos and standing up to the West. Russia’s best known opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, died suddenly in an Arctic pe…