Putin is Sure of Victory, but Little Else by Andre Tartar, Bloomberg Graphics

Cruising to a fourth term in the March 18 elections, Vladimir Putin is relying on a deep well of support based on two main factors: the huge rise in living standards over his 18 years in office and Russia’s triumphant return to the world stage. When he came to power, he warned that “for the first time in the last 200–300 years, Russia is facing the real danger of winding up among the second or even third-tier of nations in the world.”