Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has won Presidential polls. He secured a record third term in the Kremlin after recording a landslide victory over his four rivals. 

Exit polls and preliminary results gave him about 60 per cent of the vote, enough to give him a first-round victory over his nearest rival Gennady Zyuganov, who secured about 17 per cent votes. The other three candidates were in single digits.

The 59-year-old ex-KGB spy will now become President for a third time after swapping role as Prime Minister with his close aide Dmitry Medvedev. Putin was Russia's President from 2000 to 2008, but was barred by the constitution from standing for a third consecutive term.

Addressing his supporters in Moscow on Sunday night, Putin said, he won in an open and honest battle. But opposition groups have reported widespread fraud, with many people said to have voted more than once. They have called for mass protests in central Moscow today. 

The polling, which was held across Russia on Sunday, was monitored through election observers and over one lakh web cams.