Russia’s Putin takes his campaign to leading industrial town

NIZHNY TAGIL, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken his campaign to one of Russia’s leading industrial companies, vowing to bolster high-tech industries and improving living standards.

Putin on Tuesday traveled to the town of Nizhny Tagil in the Urals to visit Uralvagonzavod, a huge factory producing both battle tanks for the Russian military and railroad cars.

The trips comes as the Russian leader is seeking to shore up his support base before the March 18 presidential election.

The Uralvagonzavod plant was emblematic of Putin’s past campaign in 2012, when he relied heavily on support of blue-collar workers amid large rallies against his rule in Moscow.

Speaking to workers on Tuesday, Putin promised to improve living standards and reduce the number of people living below the poverty line.