Russia election 2024 updates: Putin looks to secure 5th term as president
Many opposition figures view the election as a way to gauge public opinion on the war in Ukraine launched two years ago.
This live page is now closed.
This live page is now closed.
- People across Russia and the annexed regions of Ukraine have begun three days of voting to decide the country’s next president.
- Incumbent President Vladimir Putin is largely expected to win and secure a fifth term as leader.
- Many opposition figures see the election as a way to gauge public opinion on the war in Ukraine launched two years ago.
- Results will be announced shortly after the polls close on Sunday, and the winner will be inaugurated in May.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon, so here’s a recap of some of the key events on the first day of voting:
- Voters across Russia’s 11 time zones headed to the polls to pick the country’s next president, with incumbent Vladimir Putin being all but certain to secure his fifth term.
- Voting has also been held in the parts of Ukrainian regions that Russian forces have seized and occupied.
- For the first time, the election will take place over three days and polls close at 8pm local time on Sunday.
- Officials said that voting proceeded in an orderly fashion, but at least eight people were arrested for acts of vandalism at polling stations.
- The Kremlin said Ukraine’s attacks on the border region of Belgorod were designed to destabilise the election.
Photos: Aftermath of a Russian missile attack on Odesa
Young Russians discuss the election: Sveta
Former law student Sveta used to study history, cinema and law but later quit due to censorship.
“I have a constant feeling of fear. I’m now scared when I see the police,” the video editor told Al Jazeera.
“If I go out into the street and I see strangers, I carefully choose my words and cannot say anything about Ukraine, I’m scared to pronounce the word ‘war’.”
More on alleged Kherson attack
The electoral commission for the Russian-controlled Kherson region has said in a statement on Telegram that Ukrainian forces hit buildings used as polling stations in the settlements of Kakhovka and Brylivka.
It said that an unspecified number of people had been wounded and buildings damaged in the attack.
It was not possible to independently verify the statement.
WATCH: Can Russia’s Gen Z make a real change?
Many young voters in Russia have only known life under Vladimir Putin – they have grown up with his increasingly anti-Western, patriarchal and patriotic narratives.
Polling shows that young Russians are currently the group most critical of Putin’s rule and the most dissatisfied with Russia’s political system.
Al Jazeera’s The Stream speaks to activists and experts to find out what Russia’s Gen Z believes about the election.
Watch the discussion below:
Russian-installed officials accuse Ukraine of shelling Kherson polling station
Moscow-installed electoral officials in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Kherson region accused Ukrainian forces of shelling polling stations, according to the TASS news agency.
There was no immediate comment by Ukraine.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry has previously said the electoral campaign in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, all partially controlled by Russia, as well as Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, was another demonstration of Moscow’s “continued flagrant disregard for international law norms and principles”.
Several people detained over polling station vandalism
Police have detained at least eight people for acts of vandalism at polling stations on the first day of voting.
As we previously reported, a video showed a woman pouring dye into a ballot box. She was detained and charged with “obstructing the exercise of electoral rights”, investigators said.
In Moscow, a video published by the independent SOTA news outlet showed an elderly woman setting a voting booth alight, filling a polling station with smoke, before she is detained by police.
Four other people in the Russian regions of Voronezh, Karachay-Cherkessia and Rostov were also arrested for pouring dye into ballot boxes, officials said.
Meanwhile, in the remote Siberian region of Khanty-Mansi, a woman was detained for trying to burn a ballot box with a Molotov cocktail, voting officials said.
And in the Chelyabinsk region, police detained a man who tried to set firecrackers off at a polling station, the TASS news agency reported, citing the regional government.
Similar incidents were also reported in St Petersburg and in the annexed Crimean Peninsula, according to local media.
The annexed Ukrainian regions voting in the election
Russian were told to head to the polls before starting work
By Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow
From all over the country, there are reports of queues, of state employees coming to the polls.
Since this morning, we’ve seen teachers, doctors, students, employees of large state companies and other state organisations because the authorities required people to vote before starting their work or their studies on Friday, and the authorities keep a record of those who have voted.
There are also reports of incidents at polling stations – spoiled ballots, people in a number of regions throughout the country dumped some sort of liquid paint inside ballot boxes, and failed attempts to set fire at polling stations were reported.
Young Russians discuss the election: Roman
We continue with our series on Russia’s young generation.
Roman, a photographer, says young people are uncertain about their futures.
“When the mobilisation of reservists was announced in September 2022, people were clueless [about] what would happen to them in two weeks,” Roman told Al Jazeera.
“Authorities have driven us into what is called the special military operation [Ukraine war] and they don’t know themselves how to get out of it.”
Photos: Russians use mobile ballot boxes in Omsk region
Molotov cocktail thrown at polling station in St Petersburg
Local news site Fontanka reporting that a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a voting centre in St Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.
The incident comes after Russian state investigators in Moscow announced they had opened a criminal case against a woman who poured liquid into a ballot box.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev votes in Moscow
Russian missile attack on Odesa kills 14: Local officials
We’re briefly pausing the election coverage to bring you the latest news from the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on Odesa has killed at least 14 people and wounded 46 others.
A first missile hit houses and when emergency crews arrived at the scene a second missile landed, authorities said. Among those killed were a paramedic and an emergency service worker, while a blaze has also started.
Ukraine’s Emergency Service and regional Governor Oleh Kiper said at least 10 houses and a quantity of emergency service equipment were damaged in the attack on Ukraine’s third largest city.
Nearly 2.6 million cast ballots early
Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova has said almost 2.6 million citizens across Russia cast their ballots during the early voting period from February 25 to March 14, state news agency TASS reported.
In the annexed Ukrainian regions where voting also took place, Pamfilova said as many as 1,171,849 voters cast early ballots in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
In the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), about 326,379 people voted, while in the Kherson region the number was 280,566.
Who is Vladimir Putin?
Young Russians discuss the election: Liza
For several years, 23-year-old Liza, a lawyer, has volunteered in an organisation dealing with domestic violence.
“Over the past seven to 10 years, the situation’s been getting worse,” Liza told Al Jazeera.
“Our statistics show – in 2021, out of a total number of domestic violence victims, about 65 percent of women were killed. The Russian Orthodox Church ignores women’s desire for independence.”
‘I’ve chosen a man who I can trust’
The Skitins were among the first to cast their ballots this morning in the Russian capital.
Olga, a blogger and mother of two, told Al Jazeera that voting in the election was part of her civic duty and she voted for Putin, as did her husband, Boris.
“He’s the best candidate, and I like the policies that we have in Russia. I think what he’s doing is aimed at making our country better and stronger,” Boris Skitin said.
Lubov Dushko, 72, also voted for the incumbent.
“I’ve made my choice. I agree with my president and his policies – both domestic and abroad. I’ve chosen a man who I can trust, the leader of our country. His name is Vladimir Putin. I trust him, and I vote for him in every election,” Dushko told Al Jazeera.
Case opened against woman who poured liquid into ballot box
Russian state investigators in Moscow say they have opened a criminal case against a woman who poured liquid into a ballot box.
The Investigative Committee’s press service said the charge was “obstructing the exercise of electoral rights or the work of election committees”.
The woman was detained, and the Investigative Committee intends to interrogate her, the press service added.
Independent Russian media outlet Mediazona posted a video of the incident on X and said there were “three more similar incidents” at polling stations.
В Москве возбудили уголовное дело против женщины, вылившей краску в урну с бюллетенями. В первый день трехдневного голосования на выборах стало известно о еще трех подобных случаях с краской на участкахhttps://t.co/wiFMSZGV5z
Видео: Baza pic.twitter.com/NvUGgxka5s
— Медиазона (@mediazzzona) March 15, 2024
Putin ‘committed’ to continuing Ukraine war
Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher in the War Studies Department at King’s College London, says Putin’s “prevailing policies”, both domestically and internationally, will continue after his all but certain re-election.
“Domestically, Putin is poised to prioritise addressing Russia’s demographic challenges, a longstanding focus of legislative efforts. On the foreign policy front, Russia is likely to persist in its opposition to what the Kremlin perceives as a unipolar global order dominated by the United States,” Miron told Al Jazeera.
On the Ukraine war front, Miron explained that Putin is “committed” to continuing the war.
“From a military standpoint, there is little indication of a shift in the overarching strategy, although some refinements may be made regarding the roles of specific branches of the Russian armed forces, notably the Black Sea Fleet,” she added.
“Russian forces might adopt a gradual territorial expansion approach, particularly focusing on northern regions such as Kharkiv … and southern areas like Odesa.”
‘Russian Time’: How Burkina Faso fell for Moscow’s charms
At a time when Putin, who is seeking re-election for a fifth term this weekend, is no longer welcome in many parts of the world following the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is seen as a friend in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital.
A football tournament, a graffiti festival, a photo exhibition, film screenings, a public conference, and a daily radio show called “Russian Time”, during which hosts speak in a mixture of French and Russian, are some of the events that take place in Ouagadougou daily, as local frustration for former coloniser France has been exploited by Russia to secure influence in the country.
Organisations such as the African Initiative – which describes itself as “an association of Burkinabe and Russians whose aim is to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding, peace and harmony between the peoples of Burkina Faso and Russia” – and Russia’s cultural centre, The Russian House, are working to promote Russia’s image in the country.
Read Justin Yarga‘s full piece here.
Russia at a glance
Pensioners speak about election
At Moscow school number 1,500, pensioners have made up most of the voters.
Natan, a 72-year-old former construction worker, said he cast a ballot for Putin and expressed hope that “there is stability in the country”.
“We see our president at work. We support him in his actions,” he told AFP.
Valentin, another pensioner who also voted at the same school, said Putin was “the best president” Russia has had since World War II and blamed the West for the war in Ukraine.
Valentina, a 75-year-old pensioner, said she “loved” her president.
“There’s no alternative to him at the moment,” she said of Putin. “He suits us, especially in the current situation.”
Many of the voters had one wish on their minds: for Russia to win in Ukraine after two years of fighting.
“It’s important [to vote] for the lives of my children and grandchildren and for the future of Russia,” 70-year-old Lyudmila said. And as the war in Ukraine drags on, what she hoped for was “above all, victory”.
Young Russians discuss the election: Lena
In the second post from our series on Russia’s young generation, we meet Lena, who is not optimistic about the election.
For several years, she has been a volunteer helping political prisoners, including her boyfriend, who was sentenced to five years for staging a performance near the Kremlin.
“About the elections – everything is predictable. But the situation overall is not predictable at all,” she told Al Jazeera
“The government wants to make people think everyone supports Putin, supports war, but when you speak with real people, it’s not like that,” Lena said.