Putin poised to rule Russia for 6 more years

An effigy of Russia’s Vladimir Putin bathing in a bath of blood is seen at a rally in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin, where voters lined up to cast their ballots. Pic/AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to extend nearly a quarter century of rule for six more years on Sunday after wrapping up an election that gave voters no real alternatives to an autocrat who has ruthlessly cracked down on dissent.

The three-day election that began Friday has taken place in a tightly controlled environment where no public criticism of Putin or his war in Ukraine is allowed. Putin's fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile.

Navalny's associates have urged those unhappy with Putin or the war to protest by coming to the polls at noon on Sunday, a strategy endorsed by Navalny shortly before his death. Team Navalny described it as a success, releasing pictures and videos of people crowding near polling stations in various cities across Russia around noon.

It wasn't immediately clear if the voters lining up at polling stations heeded the call from Navalny's allies or the queues reflected strong turnout that usually peaks around midday.

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No. of years Vladimir Putin has been in power

Belgorod schools, colleges, malls shut

All schools and colleges in parts of Russia's Belgorod will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday after a rise in Ukrainian attacks on the region, CNN reported, citing the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. In the statement issued on Telegram, Gladkov stated that shopping malls will also remain closed on Sunday and Monday. Ukraine's Spy Chief Kyrylo Budanov said Russians are among the sabotage groups attacking Belgorod and Kursk, which share the border with Ukraine.

Ukraine carries out more drone attacks

Ukraine launched a new massive wave of drone attacks Sunday. The Russian Defence Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four in the Moscow region. Another two drones were shot over the Kaluga region just south of the Russian capital and the Yaroslavl region northeast of Moscow. The attacks on Yaroslavl, about 800 km from the Ukrainian border, were some of the farthest launched by Ukraine so far.

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