The Kremlin is rallying support for Vladimir Putin’s election to a fifth presidential term by pitching him as the defender of traditional Russian values against the “liberal” West, as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.

Putin said he’ll run for another six-year term at a meeting with participants in a military awards ceremony at the Kremlin on Friday, state media reported. That came a day after Russian lawmakers announced the election will be held on March 17, 2024.

The Kremlin plans to present Putin in the election campaign as the guarantor of a Russian civilization that’s under attack by a West bent on destroying the traditional family, religious faith and national pride, said three people with links to the administration. —