Meet candidates running in Putin’s Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin, soaring in popularity as he boasts of the country’s international power, is all but assured to win re-election in this month’s vote. ❚ The Kremlin barred opposition leader Alexey Navalny from the presidential election, a move that gives Putin an added boost at the polls. Navalny called the election a farce in January: “It will feature only Putin and the candidates which he has personally selected.” ❚ Yet people do run against Putin — some of them serious, some not. ❚ None garners more than 8% in Russian pre-election polling. Here’s who is on the ballot: