Vladimir Putin vows to punish Ukraine for attacks that mar Russia election
- The president accused Kyiv of seeking to disrupt the poll by shelling Russian territory and sending soldiers to try to pierce his country’s borders
- There were also disruptions in Russia, including dye poured into ballot boxes, cyberattacks, and a Molotov cocktail thrown at a polling station
Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday of aiming to disrupt Russia’s presidential election by shelling Russian territory and using 2,500 armed soldiers to try to pierce his country’s borders, and vowed to punish Kyiv for its actions.
The first day of the election was also marred by disruptions including dye being poured into ballot boxes, a Molotov cocktail thrown at a polling station in Putin’s hometown, and reported cyberattacks.
Millions of Russians cast their ballots across the country’s 11 time zones at the start of the three-day election, which is almost certain to hand Putin six more years in the Kremlin.
The shadow of the Ukraine war fell across the election, with what Putin said was repeated shelling of Russia’s western regions and an attempt by Ukrainian proxies to cross into Russian territory in two Russian regions.
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“These enemy strikes will not remain unpunished,” a visibly angry Putin said at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, which includes military and spy chiefs as well as the most powerful civilian state officials.
