Russians crowd polling stations in apparent protest as Vladimir Putin is set to extend his rule
Vladimir Putin.
Putin is poised to extend his nearly quarter century of rule for six more years after a relentless crackdown on dissent.
The election was taking place amid attacks within Russia by Ukrainian missiles and drones, which have killed several people. Polls opened Friday in a tightly controlled environment where there are no real alternatives to Putin, little public criticism of him or his war in Ukraine.
Putin's fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile. There are no significant independent observers monitoring the election.
Navalny's associates urged those unhappy with Putin or the war to protest by coming to the polls at noon on Sunday, a strategy endorsed by Navalny shortly before his death. Navalny's team described it as a success, pointing to pictures and videos of people crowding near polling stations in cities across Russia around noon.
The 71-year-old Russian leader only faces three token rivals from Kremlin-friendly parties who have refrained from any criticism of his 24-year rule or his full-scale invasion of Ukraine that was launched on Feb. 24, 2022.
Putin has boasted of Russian battlefield successes in the period leading up to the vote, but a major Ukrainian drone attack across Russia on Sunday once again was a reminder of challenges faced by the Kremlin.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that it took down more than 40 Ukrainian drones
