MOSCOW, Russia — A steady stream of voters arrived at a polling station in the heart of Russia’s capital on this crisp, sunny Friday morning to cast their votes in a three-day presidential election.
With the winner in no doubt, the Kremlin will instead be looking to turnout as a measure of public support for Vladimir Putin’s extended rule across this vast country.
Muscovites began filing into this school-turned-voting site as soon as the doors opened at 8 a.m. local time (1 a.m. ET). At the entrance stood a large banner emblazoned with the letter “V” in the colors of the Russian flag and stating the dates of this Friday-Sunday election.
Authorities have used the Latin letters “V” and “Z” as unofficial symbols for its war in Ukraine, which has entered its third year with the country’s military advancing on the battlefield.
The Kremlin’s expanded control over Russian life means there is no true opposition to Putin, with the three other men on the ballot representing parties loyal to Putin who only campaigned sparingly.
Still, some voters said they did not need an alternative.
Nina Kisileva, 90, told NBC News as she exited the station that she came out early to vote for another six years of Putin. “Because I trust him. I really trust him,” Kisileva said, adding that she has lived through a slew of Soviet leaders, including Josef Stalin. “I remember when Stalin died, his funeral in 1953, I remember it well. And now I trust only Putin,” she said.
Svetlana Kulikova said she voted at the station electronically, an option for the first time this year.
Like Kisileva, she said she also voted for Putin. “We live well, we are satisfied with everything and, well, we are very satisfied with our president,” Kulikova, 59, said.
Denis Babushkin, who works in highway construction, said that Putin was the only “adequate” candidate out of the four, so he voted for him. “He is the only person who has made others respect Russia as a country recently,”…
Read the full article here
