Putin Moves to Strengthen His Position Ahead of Elections

Russia has pushed through Ukrainian forces in the new flashpoint town of Avdiivka and has vowed to go further into Ukraine. Meanwhile, Putin is now free of his biggest opposition threat - Alexei Navalny, who has died in a Siberian gulag.  Since it launched its invasion in 2022, Russia has managed to take 25,000 square miles of Ukrainian territory—representing 11% of the country, while Ukraine has not retaken any territory that was occupied by Russia prior to the 2022 invasion.  Avdiivka has been the most recent flashpoint in the…