Russians will vote starting this Friday in a
three-day
presidential election , marked by the offensive in Ukraine and in which President Vladimir Putin, in power for 24 years,
is guaranteed a new six-year term.
Putin, 71 years old and in power since 2000 as president or prime minister, seeks to turn the elections into
a demonstration of support for his military offensive in Ukraine,
which turned two years old last month.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. local time
on the Kamchatka peninsula
, in the far east of Russia,
a country with 11 time zones
, and will close on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. local time in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave located between Poland and Lithuania.
Voting also takes place
in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine and in Transnistria
, a pro-Russian separatist territory located in Moldova.
A voter searches for his or her information in the registry at an electoral center.
Photo: EFE
Putin's more than likely victory in these elections without real opposition will allow him to remain in power
until 2030
, longer than any Russian leader since Catherine the Great in the 18th century.
As the vote began, both Moscow and Kiev
reported the deaths of civilians in the latest bombings
.
In recent months, the Kremlin has gained confidence due to its recent territorial conquests in the former Soviet republic.
Three candidates who are not rivals
The elections, in which Putin
faces three candidates
who did not oppose his offensive on Ukraine or the repression that decimated dissent, take place a month after the death in an Arctic prison of the Kremlin's main critic, Alexei. Navalny.
Both Ukraine and the governments of the Western powers described the elections
as a "farce"
.
European Council President Charles Michel
on Friday sarcastically congratulated Putin on his "overwhelming victory."
In Moscow, a dozen residents waited in the morning for their turn to be the first to cast their vote.
"It is important to vote for the future of Russia," said Liudmila, a 70-year-old Putin supporter.
This Muscovite assured that she expected "victory (in Ukraine) above all."
Natan, 72 years old and also a follower of the current president, stated that he hoped the government
would increase "employment" and work "so that there would be no war, but stability in the country."
Valentina, 75, also assured that "currently,
there is no alternative to Putin
."
With Putin's main opponents dead, in prison or in exile, the result of the vote leaves no room for doubt.
Electoral authorities excluded
the few opposition candidates
who tried to challenge Putin.
A state poll earlier in the week predicted
he would get more than 80% of the vote.
In Moscow, a dozen residents waited in the morning for their turn to be the first to cast their vote.
Photo: AP
In Ukraine's Donetsk region, controlled by Moscow in the east of the country, armed soldiers accompanied election officials as they set up ballot boxes on small tables in the street or on the hoods of vehicles.
Putin's detractors
still hope to torpedo the vote
.
Navalny's widow,
Yulia Navalnaya
, called on voters to gather in front of the polling stations
at noon on Sunday,
the last day of voting, as a form of protest.
Navalnaya, who
lives in exile and vowed to continue her late husband's fight,
called on Russians to vote for any candidate except Putin.
The Moscow prosecutor's office warned that it would punish those involved in "the organization and participation of mass events."
In Ukraine's Donetsk region, armed soldiers accompanied election officials.
Photo: AFP
This week, Ukraine launched some of its biggest bombing raids against Russia.
The Russian military also said Friday that it repelled multiple incursions by fighters from Ukraine since March 12.
These raid attempts were claimed by Russian anti-Kremlin units.
Moscow-installed authorities in Donetsk said Friday that
three children were killed in a Ukrainian overnight bombing.
Ukraine, in turn, said that two people were killed in a Russian drone attack in the Vinnytsia region, in central Ukraine, and another in a bombing in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.
In the southern port city of Odessa, the regional governor reported two rescuers killed in a Russian attack.
In Belgorod, on the border with the former Soviet republic, a group of voters had to go to an air-raid shelter after authorities issued an air alert, according to the state news agency RIA Novosti.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine
had fired seven rockets
into the region.
With information from AFP