MOSCOW, RUSSIA – After being repeatedly warned by pundits of the importance of turnout in the 2018 US mid-term elections, and inspired by thousands of Twitter bots posting images of voters posing outside their polling places, Vladimir Putin finally emerged from the Kremlin proudly displaying his “I Voted” sticker on his lapel.

With the election widely being depicted as a referendum on President Donald Trump, Mr. Putin was reportedly “keen to exercise his civic duty”, especially given the potential for “lots of other people” to try and influence the election. When asked what issues he felt were driving voters to the polls, the Russian strongman predicted it might be “healthcare, taxes, gun control, and large scale use of troll farms to manipulate Americans.”

President Trump has repeatedly insisted the United States government is doing everything in its power to prevent foreign interference in the 2018 election. Asked for comment, Mr. Putin congratulated the US government on a stellar defense of their representative democracy, and spoke of how happy he was to accept Mr. Trump’s diplomacy. Mr. Putin declined to comment on how he voted.