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Agence France-Presse

Kremlin critics called for massive protests at Russian polling stations on Sunday for the final day of a presidential election that is guaranteed to cement Vladimir Putin’s hardline rule.
The three-day vote has already been marred by a surge in fatal Ukrainian bombardments and a series of incursions into Russia’s territory by pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.
There have also been acts of protest in the first days of polling, with a spate of arrests of Russians accused of pouring dye into ballot boxes or arson attacks.
Before he died in an Arctic prison last month, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who galvanised mass anti-Putin rallies, urged Russians to protest on Sunday.
His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has reiterated his call in the run-up to the election and said protesters should show up in large numbers at the same time to overwhelm polling stations.
She called for protesters to spoil ballots by writing “Navalny” on them or vote for candidates other than Putin.
Fatal Ukrainian strikes rock Russia as vote cements Putin’s grip
Any public dissent in Russia has been harshly punished since the start of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and there have been repeated warnings from the authorities against election protests.
A Moscow resident in his twenties said he would take part in the protest at noon (9 am GMT) in the capital “just to see young supportive faces around … feel some support around me, and see the light in this dark tunnel”.
The man, who declined to give his name for security reasons, said he hoped the demonstration would show the authorities “that there are people in this country against the conflict … against the regime”.
The 71-year-old Putin, a former KGB agent, has been in power since the last day of 1999 and is set to extend his grip over the country until at least 2030.
If he were to complete another Kremlin term, he would have stayed in power longer than any Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the 18th century.

He is running without any real opponents, having barred two candidates who opposed the conflict in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has cast the election as an opportunity for Russians to show they are behind the assault on Ukraine, where voting is also being staged in Russian-held areas.
In a pre-election address on Thursday, Putin said Russia was going through a “difficult period”.
“We need to continue to be united and self-confident,” he said, describing the election as a way for Russians to demonstrate their “patriotic feelings”.
The voting will wrap up in Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost time zone, at 6 pm GMT and an exit poll is expected to be announced shortly after that.
A concert on Red Square is being staged on Monday to mark 10 years since Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula – an event that is also expected to serve as a victory celebration for Putin.
Putin vows to punish Ukraine for attacks that mar Russia election
Ukraine has repeatedly denounced the elections as illegitimate and a “farce”, and its foreign ministry has urged Western allies not to recognise the result.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as more than 50 member states, have slammed Moscow for holding the vote in parts of Ukraine, with Guterres saying that the “attempted illegal annexation” of those regions has “no validity” under international law.
Ahead of the election, Russian state media have played up recent gains on the front and portrayed the conflict as a fight for survival against attacks from the West.
Moscow has sought to press its advantage on the front line as divisions over Western military support for Ukraine have led to ammunition shortages although Kyiv says it has managed to stop the Russian advance for now.
In Ukraine, a Russian missile strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa on Friday killed 21 people including rescuers responding to an initial hit – an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “vile”.
On the Russian side, the army has reported repeated attempts by Ukrainian sabotage groups to cross into Russia and the local governor in Belgorod region on Saturday decreed that shopping malls and schools would be shut for two days in the main city Belgorod and the surrounding district following recent strikes.


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Russia

Russia election: calls for massive protests as Vladimir Putin set to extend his rule

Russian President Vladimir Putin votes during Russia’s presidential election on March 15, 2024. Photo: Handout via Xinhua

People examine a ballot at a polling station in a school during the presidential election in St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 16, 2024. Photo: AP

Fatal Ukrainian strikes rock Russia as vote cements Vladimir Putin’s grip

A man looks at the wreckage of a vehicle after aerial attacks on Belgorod, Russia, on Saturday. Photo: AFP

A damaged truck and a bus are seen after shelling from the Ukrainian side in Belgorod, Russia, on Saturday. Photo: Telegram/Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov via AP

Residents of Avdiivka, who now live in a temporary accommodation centre, receive their ballots at a polling station on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Vladimir Putin vows to punish Ukraine for attacks that mar Russia election

Women pose in front of a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin after voting at a polling station in Donetsk, in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine, on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

A woman is silhouetted behind a banner in the colours of the Russian flag at a polling station in the settlement of Gorki Leninskie in the Moscow region on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Vladimir Putin is master of all he surveys as Russia votes in election

Russian President Vladimir Putin before delivering his state-of-the-nation address in February. Photo: AP

A woman studies her ballot in Novosibirsk, Russia. Photo: Reuters

Russia says it killed 234 fighters while thwarting incursion from Ukraine

A destroyed tank at a border crossing between Russia and Ukraine near the village of Nekhoteevka in the Belgorod Region, Russia. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters

The scene of the attempted incursion at a border crossing between Russia and Ukraine, near the village of Nekhoteevka in the Belgorod Region, Russia. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters

The damaged Belgorod city hall in Russia, which was hit by a drone. Photo: AFP

Flames are seen from a Russian military Il-76 transport plane outside Ivanovo, Russia, on March 12. Photo: Ivanovo Novosti Telegram Channel via AP

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The campaign comes as pro-Ukrainian groups aim to sabotage the three-day vote such as through arson attacks
Ukraine has denounced the elections as a ‘farce’ including those carried out in areas illegally annexed by Russia


The campaign comes as pro-Ukrainian groups aim to sabotage the three-day vote such as through arson attacks.


Vladimir Putin

Ukraine

Ukraine war