(AP) – Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon Sunday on the final day of the three-day presidential election, apparently heeding opposition calls to protest against President Vladimir Putin.
President Vladimir Putin is poised to extend his almost quarter-century rule for another six years following a brutal crackdown on dissent.
The election took place amidst attacks by Ukrainian missiles and drones inside Russia, leaving several people dead. Friday’s poll began in a tightly controlled environment with no real alternatives to Putin and little public criticism of him or his war in Ukraine.
Putin’s most violent political rival, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in prison or in exile. There are no significant independent observers monitoring the elections.
Navalny’s associates called on those dissatisfied with President Putin and the war to come to the polls at noon on Sunday to protest, a strategy he endorsed shortly before his death. Navalny’s team described it as a success, citing photos and videos of people crowding around polling stations in cities across Russia around midday.
The 71-year-old Russian leader faces nominal rivals in a pro-Kremlin party that has refrained from any criticism of his 24-year rule or the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022. There are only three people.
Putin has touted Russia’s battlefield successes in the run-up to the vote, but Ukraine’s massive drone strikes across Russia on Sunday were yet another reminder of the challenges facing the Kremlin. .
Russia reports multiple attacks from Ukraine during presidential electionhttps://t.co/LGcarWHJUt
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 16, 2024
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that it shot down more than 40 Ukrainian drones overnight and Sunday, four of them near the Russian capital.
The local governor of Russia’s Belgorod region announced that a man and a 16-year-old girl were killed and at least 12 others injured in Ukrainian shelling on Sunday. The governor also said two people were killed in the attack the previous day.
President Putin previously described the attack as an attempt by Ukraine to frighten the population and derail Russia’s presidential election, saying: “They will not be left unpunished.”
Voting is taking place at polling stations in 11 time zones across the vast country, in illegally annexed territories of Ukraine, and online.
Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of the Golos independent election monitoring group, said the pressure from law enforcement on voters has reached unprecedented levels.
He said in a social media post that Russians were searched at polling stations, their ballots were inspected before voting, and police were required to open their ballot boxes to remove them.
“I have never seen such injustice in my life. I have been observing elections for 20 years,” Andreychuk wrote on the messaging app Telegram, referring to the actions of law enforcement.
Videos shared on social media showed an armed man wearing camouflage clothing entering a polling station and harassing Russians while they were voting.
Russian election officials are cautioning voters from accidentally voting for the wrong presidential candidate.
Just imagine…
via @saintjavelin pic.twitter.com/XHqL92Vvo7
— Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) March 16, 2024
Some told The Associated Press they were happy to vote for Mr. Putin.
Dmitry Sergeyenko, who voted in Moscow, said: “I am happy with everything and want everything to remain as it is.”
Olga Dimova, who also supported Putin, said: “I am confident that our country will only move towards success.”
Lines outside several polling stations in Russia and abroad appeared to swell around midday, apparently in response to opposition calls for protests.
Some Russians waiting to vote in Moscow and St. Petersburg told The Associated Press they were participating in the protests, but it is unclear whether everyone pictured in line is participating. could not be confirmed.
A woman named Yulia, who joined the line at a polling station around noon in Moscow, told The Associated Press that it was her first time voting.
“Even if my vote doesn’t change anything, my conscience is clear … for the future I want to see in this country,” she said.
Another Moscow voter, Vadim, who also gave only his first name, said he was hoping for change, but added: “Unfortunately it’s unlikely.”
Ivan Zhdanov, chairman of Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation, said the opposition’s call for protests had been successful.
“This action showed that there is another Russia and that there are people who oppose Putin.”
Huge lines formed around noon outside Russian diplomatic missions in London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Belgrade and other cities with large Russian communities, many of whom left Russia after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, also joined the procession at the Russian embassy in Berlin, where sections of the crowd applauded and chanted Mr. Navalny’s name.
Demonstrators in Berlin displayed an image of Putin in a bath of blood, holding a Ukrainian flag next to shredded ballots in a ballot box.
Russian state television and officials said high participation was seen on overseas routes. The Russian embassy in Germany posted a video of the Berlin procession on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Together we are stronger – vote for Russia!”
Voters line up in front of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn on March 17, 2024, during the Russian presidential election. (Photo by Raigo Pajula/AFP) (Photo by Raigo Pajula/AFP via Getty Images)
In Tallinn, 23-year-old Tatiana said she had come to join the protest at midday, as hundreds of people snaked in line along the Estonian capital’s cobbled streets leading to the Russian embassy.
“If you have the option to protest, I think it’s important to take advantage of every opportunity,” she said, speaking only by her first name, citing personal safety reasons.
Liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who tried to run on an anti-war platform but was barred from running by election authorities, expressed hope that many Russians would vote against President Putin. did.
“I believe that the Russian people today have an opportunity to show their true attitude towards what is happening by voting not for President Putin, but for other candidates and in other ways,” he said after the vote. That’s exactly what I did.” Dolgoprudny on the outskirts of Moscow.
OVD-Info, a group that monitors political arrests, said more than 75 people were arrested in 17 cities across Russia on Sunday.
Despite strict controls, dozens of incidents of vandalism were reported at polling stations.
A woman was arrested in St. Petersburg after throwing an incendiary device at the entrance to a polling station, and several people across the country were arrested for throwing green disinfectant and ink into ballot boxes.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, which President Vladimir Putin chairs, said those who tried to disrupt the vote during the fighting in Ukraine should be charged with treason. He called for tougher punishment for those who vandalized polling stations.
Some Russian media also referenced the arrest warrant issued to Putin on war crimes charges and published images of defaced ballots posted by voters, one of which had the words “murderer and thief” on it. , and the other one said, “Waiting for you in The Hague.” In connection with his alleged responsibility for the kidnapping of children from Ukraine.
