“If he is confident, why isn’t he letting these people on the ballot?” a former United States ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, wrote on Twitter about Mr. Putin. “Maybe he is not as popular and loved as much as we think?”

“If he is confident, why isn’t he letting these people on the ballot?” a former United States ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, wrote on Twitter about Mr. Putin. “Maybe he is not as popular and loved as much as we think?” https://t.co/QIlfFchiev

— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) July 17, 2019