The Ukrainian War has cast a shadow over voting in three-day electionswhich will almost certainly give Putin six more years in the Kremlin.
In the region of Belgorod, where cross-border attacks from Ukraine have become commonplace, the governor reported the death of a man and a woman. Video obtained by Reuters showed fires and air raid sirens blaring on the empty streets of the city of Belgorod.
Dmitry Azarov, governor of the Samara region850 km southeast of Moscow, declared that the Syzran refinery was burning, but that an attack on a second facility had been thwarted.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated having repelled attempts by Ukrainian forces to cross the border into the Belgorod region. Governor Gladkov stated that, given “the current situation”, schools in much of the region would close on Monday and Tuesday, and that shopping centers in the city of Belgorod would close on Sunday and Monday.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian soil this week, especially oil refineries. Russia launched its deadliest attack in weeks on Friday when its missiles hit a residential area of the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odessa, leaving at least 20 dead and 70 wounded.
Putin’s power is not threatened. At 71 years old and in office as president or prime minister since the last day of 1999, he dominates the Russian political landscape and none of the other three candidates in the running present a credible challenge.
His main critics are in jail or have fled abroad, prompting the opposition to call the vote a farce.
Russia’s best-known opponent, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic penal colony last month and his supporters have accused Putin of having him killed. The Kremlin denied this, and his death certificate maintains that he died of natural causes.
The Kremlin expects a high turnout to show that the country is united around Putin.
Elections in Russia: turnout exceeded 40%
Total participation had exceeded 40% by the afternoon of the second day. Some of the highest rates – close to 70% – were recorded in the Belgorod region and in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine where kyiv claims voting is illegal and void.
Russia’s ruling party, United Russia, declared on Saturday that it was facing a widespread denial-of-service attack – a form of cyberattack aimed at paralyzing web traffic – and that it had suspended non-essential services to repel it.
State news agency RIA quoted a telecommunications official as saying the level of cyber attacks against Russia was “unprecedented,” blaming Ukraine and Western countries. He said some of the activity had been traced to IP addresses in Western Europe and North America.
Several protests took place during Friday’s vote, including the pouring of ink into ballot boxes and the throwing of a Molotov cocktail at a polling station in Putin’s hometown, as well as cyber attacks.
(Reporting from Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan and Felix Light. Edited in Spanish by Javier Leira)
Source: Ambito
