[2][3] On 24 September 2011, at the United Russia party convention for the legislative elections, Medvedev announced that he would not seek re-election, and suggested that Vladimir Putin run for president again.

However, according to experts, the downgrade of the United Russia would not prevent Putin to get a good result and win the election.

The program consisted of six chapters: "Foreign policy", "Economy", "Army", "Salaries and pensions", "Social protection and health" and "Education".

The program summed up the results of the last decade, defined further goals and tasks for the Russian authorities for the next six years.

[12] On 1 February, Putin voiced his displeasure with the idea of a potential runoff, telling election monitors, "A second tour would cause a prolonged battle, and that would destabilize our political situation".

[14] During the campaign Putin made a single outdoor public speech at a 100,000-strong rally of his supporters in the Luzhniki Stadium on 23 February, Russia's Defender of the Fatherland Day.

[citation needed] In the speech he called not to betray the Motherland, but to love her, to unite around Russia and to work together for the good, to overcome the existing problems.

[15] He compared the political situation at the moment (when fears were spread in the Russian society that the 2011–13 Russian protests could instigate a color revolution directed from abroad) with the First Fatherland War of 1812, reminding that its 200th anniversary and the anniversary of the Battle of Borodino would be celebrated in 2012.

[15] Putin cited Lermontov's poem Borodino and ended the speech with Vyacheslav Molotov's famous Great Patriotic War slogan "The Victory Shall Be Ours!"