Russia’s Presidential Vote Nears End: Noon Against Putin Movement and Sabotage Accusations

As Russia enters the concluding phase of its presidential vote, accusations have surfaced, with Moscow pointing fingers at Ukraine for purportedly orchestrating air attacks to disrupt the election process. The outcome of this election is widely anticipated to extend President Vladimir Putin’s tenure by another six years.

Over half of Russia’s electorate has already participated in the electoral process during the initial two days of the three-day voting period, as per official reports. The decisive third day is poised to test the resilience of the opposition, which has rallied its supporters to cast their votes simultaneously at noon in a movement dubbed “Noon Against Putin.“

While sporadic protests have punctuated the electoral landscape, recent escalations in the conflict with Ukraine have loomed large over the proceedings. Putin, on Friday, accused Kyiv of endeavoring to disrupt the election through heightened drone and missile assaults within Russian territory and areas under Moscow’s control in Ukraine. He pledged retribution against Ukraine in response.

Early Sunday reports from local Russian authorities indicated that Kyiv’s forces persisted in launching strikes on regions bordering Ukraine. In his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy did not directly acknowledge the reported attacks. However, he expressed gratitude towards the Ukrainian military and intelligence for their advancements in long-range capabilities.

Kyiv categorizes the election within territories held by Russia as illegal and null. Military analysts perceive Kyiv’s sustained targeting of energy and critical infrastructure as an endeavor to unsettle the Russian populace’s sense of security and undermine Moscow’s military campaign.

Noon Against Putin:

The conflict in Ukraine stands as the deadliest engagement in Europe since World War Two. None of the other three candidates on the ballot pose a credible challenge to the 71-year-old Putin, who remains an indomitable figure in Russia’s political arena.

Supporters of Putin’s prominent adversary, the late Alexei Navalny, who passed away unexpectedly in a Siberian penal colony in February, have urged citizens across Russia to participate in a synchronized voting action at noon on Sunday across all 11 time zones of the country.

The “Noon Against Putin” initiative, endorsed by Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya, is presented as a means for individuals to express dissent without fear of repercussion, as they engage in the legal act of voting. However, the Kremlin has cautioned against participation in unauthorized gatherings.

“Today we want to say to all of us – noon is the very beginning,” declared the “Noon Against Putin” movement on their Telegram channel early Sunday. “Yes, some of us are scared. Yes, the choice is not easy. But we are the people. And we will cope with both the choice and the responsibility.”

Yesterday, the people of Prague took a resolute stand against Putin’s regime, as indicated by a breaking exit poll revealing that merely 4% of voters in the city supported the Russian president. In response, they organized a “Noon Against Putin” event, given it was the sole voting opportunity available. This international observation underscores the widespread discontent and resistance towards Putin’s continued reign, amplifying the significance of the ongoing presidential election in Russia.

With over 114 million eligible voters, including those in what Moscow designates as its “new territories” – four Ukrainian regions partially under Russian control but claimed by Russia as its own – the Russian Central Election Committee disclosed that over 63 million voters had already cast their ballots by Saturday evening.