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Russian election: President Vladimir Putin claims fifth term in inevitable poll landslide - BBC News Russian election: President Vladimir Putin claims fifth term in inevitable poll landslide - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Will Vernon Anastassia Zlatopolskaya
BBC News, Washington BBC Russian, in Tel Aviv
Over the course of the day, protesters - and voters - gathered at noon at Russian embassies around the world. In the next few posts we'll bring you the view from Yerevan, Riga and Tel Aviv. We kick off with Washington:
Protesting earlier outside the Russian embassy in Washington, DC is lawyer and activist Lyubov Sobol. Posters hold slogans that say "Stop war" and "Open your eyes". They hold white-blue flags, which have become a semi-official symbol of
She was one of the closest aides of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Russian opposition movement, as well as the Russian tricolour as they gather at the
Navalny, who died in an Arctic penal colony last month. Russia's Consulate in Tel Aviv at noon.
She tells me that The queue on Kaufman Street started
Alexei Navalny would be “very happy” to see the anti-Putin events across Russia forming much earlier and quickly stretched for more than half a kilometre,
and abroad today. crossing the intersection and turning around the corner for another couple of
“Obviously we know that the final results will show whatever hundred meters.
number the Kremlin decides to put out,” Sobol says. Many came to vote not only from the
“We probably won’t see neighbouring cities but even from the southern part of the country - Be'er
the votes being made now in the results. But this solidarity, this symbol, is Sheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod.
nonetheless important.” The hardly-moving line includes both those who
Repression in Russia now, she says, has reached “maximum came for the rally and those who just wanted to vote. Igor came from Ashdod but doesn't intend to vote: "I didn't even bother to
levels”. take my passport; I don't want to have anything in common with them."
The people here of course are not in Russia, they are in the Passers-by stop to find out what the crowd is
United States, and therefore the risk to them for taking part in such an event about and smile approvingly.
is lower. Konstantin came with friends from Givatayim:
For people still inside Russia, participating in any kind of protest "It's a way to speak out against Putin and show that there are many of us.
whatsoever can lead to arrest. It's a way in these absolutely fake elections to convey to other people
something that propaganda says - that the majority supports Putin - is an
absolute lie."
"For people who oppose the regime that
seized Russia it's very important to see each other. The actions of the Putin
regime are aimed precisely at dividing all people, showing that we are a small
marginal bunch. But in reality, no, there are many of us!".
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