While most agree that Putin will win his third term as president after these polls, there has been growing opposition in recent days to the United Russia leader's rule, particularly after widespread allegations of fraud during last year's parliamentary polls. Protests for and against Putin's rule have attracted tens of thousands - sometimes hundreds of thousands - of demonstrators.

For a quick run-through on where candidates stand on various issues, check out this infographic:

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And for a slightly more indepth look at the candidates, we've also got profiles on each of those running:

Vladimir Putin - the leader of United Russia and current prime minister 

Gennady Zyuganov - Likely to be Putin's closest challenger, the leader of Russia's Communist Party has finished second in three previous presidential polls 

Vladimir Zhirinovksy  - The leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia is known for his brash, outspoken manner. He has been polling at between five and 15 per cent.   

Sergey Mironov - Mironov, the leader of A Just Russia, was a long-time Putin ally, but has distanced himself from the prime minister in recent years, vowing that his days of working ini co-operation with Putin are over.

Mikhail Prokhorov - The billionaire owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team is running on a pro-business platform.