Kremlin leader Putin wants to secure a fifth term in office in the unfair vote. According to authorities, there were several attacks with paint on ballot boxes with ballot papers on the first day of the presidential election.
Opposition members around Kremlin opponent Alexei Navalny, who died in custody, had called for a protest election. However, they advised quiet protest and also pointed out the risk of being arrested and punished. The opposition speaks of an “election farce” that has nothing in common with a vote according to democratic rules.