Russians go to the polls today in the first presidential election since their country invaded Ukraine two years ago. The war was expected to carry a steep cost for President Vladimir V. Putin. Valerie Hopkins, who covers Russia for The Times, explains why the opposite has happened. Guest: Valerie Hopkins (https://www.nytimes.com/by/valerie-hopkins) , an international correspondent for The New York Times. Background reading:  • Mr. Putin, in pre-election messaging, was less strident on nuclear war (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/world/europe/russia-putin-nuclear-war-ukraine.html) . • What to know (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/world/europe/russia-election-explained.html) about Russia’s 2024 presidential vote. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.