Election polls across Russia face ‘unprecedented’ rebellion

Several Russians have reportedly been detained for various acts of vandalism during the first day of the nation’s elections.

People vote in Russia's presidential election in the Russian-controlled area of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict on March 15, 2024. Picture: AFP

Polling stations across Russia have been hit by a wave of fire and paint attacks on the first day of the nation’s presidential election.

Several Russians have reportedly been detained for vandalism after pouring dye into ballot boxes and throwing petrol bombs at booths.

One woman was reportedly arrested in Moscow for pouring litres of paint into a ballot box.

Footage appeared to show a woman slip a ballot through the slot then pour green liquid over the contents of the transparent box, according to the video obtained by The Sun.

Russian media reported “a criminal case” had been opened against a woman who “poured paint into a ballot box”.

Putin, 71, is all but certain to win another six-year term in the presidential vote that began today and will run until Sunday.

But Russians appear to be resisting at the sure win at the polling booths, destroying people’s votes by pouring dye on them, setting ballot boxes alight, and launching fireworks inside polling stations.

A majority of the attacks have been reported in Moscow, Voronezh in south Russia, and the region of Karachay-Cherkessia in the north Caucasus, according to state news agency Tass.

It was alleged by electoral authorities in St Petersburg that a woman threw a petrol bomb near a polling station, sparking a fire which was later put out.

Soldiers scrawl 'Navalny' on their votes to ruin them. Alexei Navalny was the opposition leader in the election before his untimely death in February. Credit: Telegram

In another act of protest, a woman reportedly set fire to a voting booth in Moscow.

She appeared in a video to tip flammable fluid over the booth and then set it alight while recording the act on her phone.

Meanwhile, a molotov cocktail was thrown at a polling station in St Petersburg, local news site Fontanka reports.

Further footage showed a police officer desperately attempting to put out a blaze inside a polling station – in an unknown location – as black smoke filled the room.

And voting soldiers have reportedly scrawled the name “Navalny” on their ballots in support of the late opposition leader – widely considered to be Putin’s fiercest foe – Alexei Navalny.

The Russian opposition leader died in mysterious circumstances last month while serving a 19-year sentence on trumped-up charges.

Western leaders and members of his camp claim he was “murdered” on the direct orders of Putin.

A source today alleged a commander removed the illegitimate votes for Navalny before submitting the ballot papers to be counted.

They said: “Our military unit has already voted, like everyone else in the army.

“I personally know men who spoiled their ballots [by writing Navalny across them].

“Today I found these ballots in our company commander’s bedside table.

“There are quite a few of us who would like to finally get things back to normal in the country.

“The ******* problem is that the snivelling bosses won’t let us be heard.”

Some soldiers voted early, especially in the war zone – an arrangement that is open to abuse.

One video from Moscow showed soldiers being frogmarched to the polling station.

Also today, a middle-aged woman was reported to have emptied dye into a ballot box in Borisoglebsk, a town in Voronezh region.

A man votes in Russia's presidential election. Picture: AFP

Voters are casting their ballots Friday through Sunday at polling stations across the country. Picture: AFP

There were reportedly three other instances of similar vote tampering.

One woman was said to have poured the dye into a ballot box in Karachay-Cherkessia, while a 62-year-old man allegedly did the same in Samarskoye village.

Another woman reportedly poured the dye into a ballot box in occupied Crimea.

All of the protesters were detained.

Russian news outlet Mash reported: “All those detained for damaging ballots are now being checked for co-operation with the Ukrainian special services.”

Some have theorised that the protesters were persuaded to carry out the attacks by phone scammers working for Ukrainian intelligence services.

Bosses reportedly demanded that their staff take and send pictures of their marked ballot papers – to prove that they voted for Putin.

One woman said she obeyed and then ticked another box, spoiling her ballot.

Problems were also reported in the electronic remote voting systems used today, as they supposedly became overloaded.

In Kursk and Rostov regions – bordering Ukraine – there were unconfirmed reports that pens with disappearing ink were provided to voters, enabling later ballot tampering.

Women pose in front of a mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin after voting in Russia's presidential election. Picture: AFP

A source cited by the anti-war Telegram channel Sirena said: “The inscription disappears when heated, although the pen looks ordinary.

“They told everyone to be silent and only supply these pens from the boxes they brought.”

The boxes carried the logo of the Central Election Commission, which some believe is biased in favour of Putin.

A video supposedly demonstrating the alleged abuse did not show a real ballot paper.

The three-day election which commenced today is largely believed to be rigged to produce a landslide victory for Putin.

There were multiple reports of state employees being “forced” to vote for the Russian tyrant.

In the Urals, some were locked out of their offices in the cold, and ordered to vote first being allowed to go to work.

While in Barnaul and elsewhere in the Altai region, surveillance cameras in polling stations – supposedly a guard against fraud – were not working.

In the Khorsky settlement of the Khabarovsk region, a suspicious stack of ballots was noticed in a box, as if thrown in together.

And in Chukotka, Russia’s most easterly region voters were provided with pancakes, which may be seen as an inducement to vote.

There were also claims of abuses involving the issuing of ballots enabling poll workers to visit residents at home to obtain their votes.

Exiled journalist Dmitry Kolezev, editor of Republic, said of the conduct of the Russian election: “At 8am the polling stations are already packed.

“Employees of the school, administration, local district gas and energy sales were required to vote before starting work, and they keep a record of the lists of those who voted.

“Such control has never existed in previous years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin receives winners of the Leaders of Russia national competition for public officials at the Kremlin. Picture: Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / POOL / AFP)

“There is a very clear command to the heads of organisations – so that all employees vote on Friday – a working day.

“So, alas, the picture with both turnout and support will be what they need.”

Stanislav Andreichyuk, of Golos election monitoring organisation, said: “The first day of voting has started and everything is going exactly as we warned.

“A huge number of voters were under duress.”

There was reportedly a lack of independent observers and pressure not to conduct exit polls, which might have been used to gauge how people voted.

In Buryatia, workers from the Timlyui cement plant, dressed in overalls and helmets, came together to vote at polling station No. 321 in the village of Kamensk.

After voting, the workers lined up with signs that read: “Cement workers are strong! Let’s vote for Russia!”

The stunt appeared to be a show of orchestrated support for Putin.

Meanwhile, two anti-war candidates were blocked from standing in the poll.

The three other candidates all support the war, although one, Vladislav Davankov, 40, of the New People party, a Kremlin-choreographed grouping, backs negotiations to halt the conflict.

Kremlin officials have reportedly decreed that Putin will win with about 80 per cent of the vote.

Voting was disrupted today in border region Belgorod amid new shelling and “thousands” of civilians evacuating to safer territory.

The attack, which saw a truck explode into flames in the middle of a residential street, led to the suspension of polling in Belgorod city, which is located 25 miles north of Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Russian rebels have indicated it is their plan to disrupt Vladimir Putin’s sham election which begins today and will run until Sunday. New footage appeared to show pro-Ukrainian partisan paramilitary forces are now active in the border village of Kozinka.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.