BRUSSELS: The European Union said on Monday that “violations and shortcomings” in the election that returned Russian President Vladimir Putin to power flouted international standards, pointing to one-sided media coverage and curbs on political freedoms.

“We expect Russia to address the violations and shortcomings reported by the OSCE (observers) as they run against Russia’s OSCE commitments and other international obligations,” an EU statement said.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2018