Several people have been detained for vandalism at polling stations on the first day of voting in the Russian presidential elections. These incidents involved:
- Green dye being poured into ballot boxes.
- Ballot boxes being set alight.
- Fireworks being set off inside polling stations.
Most of these incidents were reported at polling stations in Moscow, Voronezh in south Russia, and the region of Karachay-Cherkessia in the north Caucasus. The electoral authorities in St Petersburg reported that a woman had thrown a petrol bomb near a polling station, but the fire was extinguished.
Despite the disruptions, Vladimir Putin is almost certain to win six more years in office after the vote. However, officials have called on law enforcement officers to remain vigilant.
The election takes place over three days until Sunday. While the result is not in doubt due to the lack of a credible opponent, state-run media reported that turnout had reached 23% by late afternoon in Moscow.
Russia has also enforced the vote in occupied areas of Ukraine, where Russian-appointed officials in the small town of Skadovsk reported an improvised device exploding in a rubbish bin in front of a polling station without causing injuries.
At least eight people have been arrested, although officials have not explicitly stated whether these acts of vandalism were protests against Mr. Putin. After the death of his most vocal critic, Alexei Navalny, his widow, Yulia Navalnaya, called on the Russian leader’s opponents to go en masse to polling stations at noon on Sunday to register their protest. She has urged the West not to recognize Mr. Putin’s fifth term as president, and NATO’s secretary general has stated that the vote will not be free and fair.
The deputy chairman of Russia’s Central Election Committee, Nikolay Bulayev, reported that there were five incidents involving liquids being poured into ballot boxes. The attacks, which involved the Zelyonka “brilliant green” dye, occurred around 11:00 Moscow time (08:00 GMT). Zelyonka is widely used locally as an antiseptic solution but has also been used in protests in Russia and Ukraine. Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova described the saboteurs as “scumbags” and warned that perpetrators could be jailed for up to five years .
The ongoing election takes place amid a ruthless crackdown on independent media and human rights since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The widow of Alexei Navalny, the most prominent critic of Mr. Putin who died earlier this month, has called for the West not to recognize Mr. Putin’s fifth term as president. The three other candidates on the ballot are low-profile politicians from token opposition parties that support the Kremlin’s line. European Council President Charles Michel commented on the vote, saying, “No opposition. No freedom. No choice.”.
