Many Russian voters gathered outside their embassy in Paris to make their voices heard as the presidential election is taking place since Friday.
Thousands of people were waiting in line outside the Russian embassy in Paris on Sunday at noon, as the Russian presidential election is currently being held.
The opposition had called for a midday tribute to the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died mysteriously in mid-February in a prison in a remote part of the Russian Arctic. This was a way to denounce a tailor-made election for Vladimir Putin, the outgoing president and favorite for reelection.
In the Paris rain, voters patiently waited in line for over 600 meters while wearing raincoats and holding umbrellas, as observed by AFP at 12:30.
“I will use my ballot as a flyer. I think I will write Navalny on it, I will say that Putin is illegitimate, I support democratic values,” said 43-year-old Tatiana Leontyeva.
“There is a desire to change the situation, one way or another,” testified Viatcheslav Dorofeiev. “There is a war in Ukraine. Things are getting worse every year. I will not vote for Putin.”
A march against Putin in Paris
The widow of Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, who has promised to take up her husband’s mantle despite her exile, called on her supporters to go to the polls and vote for any candidate other than Vladimir Putin. She herself waited in line in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin in the early afternoon.
“If Putin gets 3 to 5% here, it will be a success for him,” joked Guennadi Goudkov, met by AFP in Paris. According to this opponent, surprised by the popular mobilization, many voters crossed out their ballots.
Several Russians interviewed by AFP in the French capital also stated that they would vote for Vladimir Putin, 71, whose victory is almost certain against three handpicked lackluster candidates.
“How can you be against Putin? He is saving the world,” said a Russian living in Paris who refused to give his identity. “He is the best president,” agreed 53-year-old teacher Svetlana Myasnikova in the same line.
A few dozen people, many of whom were carrying the blue and white flag of the Russian opposition, then started a march in the French capital, chanting slogans such as “Putin murderer!” and “Russia against war!”
