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Poll worker obscures CCTV camera during ballot counting
The Russian elections have got underway today, as voters have headed to the polls in what is widely understood to be a sham affair. The election unfolds amid a harsh crackdown on dissent, with independent media and rights groups stifled, consolidating Vladimir Putin's grip on power.
This comes as Russia's conflict in Ukraine enters its third year, with Moscow holding the upper hand on the battlefield despite facing challenges such as long-range drone attacks and high-tech assaults on its Black Sea fleet.
Spanning 11 time zones, voters across Russia and even in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine are casting their ballots until Sunday, with online voting introduced for the first time, drawing over 200,000 voters in Moscow alone.
With Putin, 71, seeking his fifth term and facing minimal opposition due to political opponents jailed or exiled, the election lacks suspense. The ballot features low-profile candidates from token opposition parties aligned with the Kremlin.
Independent observers express scepticism about the fairness of the election, citing limited choices for voters and constrained monitoring opportunities.
Only registered candidates or state-affiliated groups can assign observers to polling stations, impeding independent oversight across nearly 100,000 locations nationwide.
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Vladimir Putin is expected to win his fifth term (Image: Getty)
All the presidential candidates running in the race
Russians are being given the choice between four candidates, although neither of the three men running against Putin are considered real challengers to the incumbent president.
Nikolai Kharitonov is the 75-year-old candidate put forward by the Communist Party. The Communist politician has been a member of the Russian Parliament, the Duma, since 1993, and already ran against Putin in 2004, when he obtained 13 percent of the vote.
Leonid Slutsky, 56, is an anti-Western candidate who described the war in Ukraine as "noble and holy" and stated the main goal of his election programme is a "final and speedy victory".
Vladislav Davankov, 40, is the deputy chairman of the Duma's lower house and a member of the New People political party which his father helped set up in 2020.
Ukrainian occupied territories forced to vote
Russia has made it very hard for people in occupied Ukraine to survive without their passports.
They've forced nearly everyone to get Russian passports to access basic things like healthcare and keep their property.
If you don't get one, you could lose your kids, go to jail, or even worse. And if you still don't get one by July 1, you could be put in prison as a "foreign citizen".
But getting a Russian passport also means you might have to fight against the Ukrainian army trying to free you.
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