Russia: Molotov, arson and ballot cancellation on the First Day of Presidential Election

The first day of the hurdles, as some – few, but impressive – citizens decided to show their opposition to Vladimir Putin and the whole process. At some polling centers in Russia they started “sudden” fires, either in a screen or in the ballot box that will bring Vladimir Putin back to president anyway, while at other citizens, to cancel the ballots of the presidential election. Of course after their actions these voters were arrested and taken to police stations for the further. So far, Friday afternoon 15.3.2024, first day of holding the presidential elections in Russia, at least 13 people were arrested on charges of causing damage or arson attacks. NGO OVD-Info, an independent Russian media organisation for human rights warned of possible phone frauds, which are common in Russia, in which perpetrators will promise financial compensation to those who launch elections attacks. The head of the election committee, Come Pamfilova, said that these people making phone frauds are acting with money promised to them “swindlers from abroad”. In St. Petersburg, a young woman threw a molotov bomb at the entrance of an electoral station to a school, without causing victims, according to a local official. He was then arrested, according to the local media Fontanka. In St. Petersburg, a young woman three a Molotov cocktail on the porch of a polaring station — NEXTA (@nexta_tv) In Moscow, a woman was arrested after “set fire” on an election screen, broadcast the Ria Novosti news agency. A video published by the media Baza shows flames in the space, but they were quickly extinguished. Russian voter decisions on a protest vote against Putin in today’s presidential election — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) Also in Moscow, a 20-year-old was arrested after spraying ballots inside polls with “coloured liquid”, the Russian Interior Ministry reported in an announcement. According to the Russian Ministry, investigations were launched on “inhibition of electoral rights or the work of the electoral committees”, an offence punishable, according to the authorities, by imprisonment “up to 5 years old” . A man near the Russian capital, a woman in Novosibirsk (Siberia), as well as four other people in the provinces of Voronez (southwest), Rostov and Karachia – Cherkesia in the Russian Caucasus, were also arrested for throwing dye in a ballot box, according to the authorities. Similar incidents occurred in Volgograd (southwest) and annexed Crimea. Two other people were arrested in the country for trying to set fire to a ballot box using a molotov bomb and tried to light a bomb inside an electoral center. Sverdlovsk region, Russia ❗ Arson 🔥🔥🔥💨🤌 Here they go again. In the city of Asbest, Sverdlovsk region, there was an archon at a polaring station. An unknown person three a flammable liquid into the school bestibule. — LX (@LXSummer1) Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been accusing Kiev of campaigning for telephone fraud targeting mostly elderly and vulnerable people. These campaigns, according to Moscow, have prompted dozens of people to attack official buildings or offices.