Putin readies for election amid spy dustup

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on voters to turn out for this Sunday’s presidential election in which he is a shoo-in for a fourth term. Putin’s only serious opponent, Alexei Navalny, was barred from running due to a criminal conviction that’s widely acknowledged as political punishment. Though Putin’s approval ratings top 80 percent, the Kremlin is pushing voter turnout to counter opponents who call the election undemocratic. Navalny has urged his supporters to boycott the vote. Putin also is defending himself from accusations he personally ordered a nerve agent attack on a former spy in the United Kingdom. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Friday it was “overwhelmingly likely” the Russian president had a hand in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter, Yulia, who remain in critical condition. The U.K. expelled Russian diplomats and called off diplomatic meetings in response to the attack, and Russia said this week it was preparing similar measures in retaliation. British police revealed Friday they also considered suspicious the death of Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov, who was found strangled in London on Monday. Glushkov associated with known Putin critics and received political asylum in the U.K. in 2010.