- People were urged to turn out as a show of support for the opposition.
- National turnout exceeded 2018 levels of 67.5%.
- Hundreds of people gathered at the polling stations.
Russian President Vladmir Putin is set to tighten his grip on power as he sets out to secure a landslide election victory amid the “Noonday Against Putin” protests that broke out at polling stations on the final day of Sunday's election. .
Putin, who came to power in 1999, would surpass Josef Stalin to become Russia's longest-serving leader if he won the new six-year term.
According cnnLines at some polling stations in Russia suddenly grew around 12:00 local time on Sunday, at which time supporters of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny asked people to turn out collectively as a show of support for the opposition.
Police allowed people through the doors in groups to go through security, and metal detectors and bags were searched inside the building.
The election comes just over two years since Putin triggered the deadliest European conflict since World War II by ordering the invasion of Ukraine. He calls it a “special military operation.”
War has loomed over the three-day election: Ukraine has repeatedly attacked oil refineries in Russia, bombed Russian regions and tried to drill into Russian borders with like-minded forces, a move Putin said would not go unpunished.
While Putin's re-election is not in doubt given his control over Russia and the absence of real rivals, the former KGB spy wants to show that he has the overwhelming support of Russians. Several hours before polls closed at 18:00 GMT, nationwide turnout surpassed 2018 levels of 67.5%.
Reuters Journalists observed an increase in the flow of voters, especially young people, at midday at polling stations in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, with queues of several hundred and even thousands of people.
Some said they were protesting, although there were few outward signs to distinguish them from ordinary voters.
When midday arrived in Asia and Europe, hundreds of people gathered at the polling stations of Russian diplomatic missions. Navalny's widow, Yulia, appeared at the Russian embassy in Berlin to cheers and chants of “Yulia, Yulia.”
Navalny's exiled supporters broadcast footage on YouTube of protests inside Russia and abroad.
– With additional contributions from Reuters
