Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday thanked Russians for voting and backing him in an election he was set to win in a landslide. “I want to thank the citizens of Russia… who came to the polling stations and voted,” Putin said after exit polls and early results showed him on track to secure 87%. As the offensive in Ukraine entered its third year, he expressed “special words of gratitude to our soldiers… who fulfill the most important task of protecting our people.” “No matter who or how much they want to intimidate us, no matter who or how much they want to suppress us, our will, our…