Ukraine war updates: Western leaders slam Putin's election win as 'illegitimate'; Ukraine hit with new wave of drone attacks

This is CNBC's live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin swept through the country's election over the weekend to secure a fifth term in power, claiming 87.97% of the vote in a contest with no real opposition.

Western leaders condemned the poll as "illegitimate" and neither free nor fair, while Putin hailed the result and turnout as proof of his country's democracy. Anti-Putin protesters staged demonstrations in cities around the country to express their rejection of the longtime Russian leader, who now has another six years in power.

Ukraine's Air Force said it downed 17 out of 22 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones sent from Russia over a number of Ukrainian cities overnight. It reported that six people were injured and warned of further danger from ballistic missiles in the northeastern region of Kharkiv.

Russia's presidential elections took place in a "context of increasing repression of the civil society and any type of opposition against the regime," the French foreign ministry said Monday, according to a CNBC translation.

The French institution noted "ever-increasingly strong restrictions on freedom of expression" and interdictions against independent media coverage in Russia. The French foreign ministry also condemned "so-called" elections held in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, whose results it said Paris refuses to recognize.

Vladimir Putin swept through the election to clinch another six-year term, following polls held over March 15-17. He faced nominal opposition and was widely expected to win.

"Political opponent Alexei Navalny died several weeks before this election, notably after the tightening of his detention conditions