At noon, hundreds of people lined up outside the Russian embassy in Lithuania at the entrance to the voting station located in the diplomatic mission itself, responding to the opposition’s call to do so in Russia and around the world.
Some of them carried portraits of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died a month ago, as well as posters such as “Putin the killer”, “Putin killed Navalny”, “Uzhknisai” or “Me against Putin”.
There was a huge queue
A huge queue of those who wanted to vote stretched outside the Russian Embassy building.
The line is quite long, because people are allowed in to vote rather slowly – only one or two people go through the turnstiles, and inside, while passports are being checked, until voting is done, that’s why there was a huge queue.
Promises to tamper with ballots
Most of those waiting for their turn to vote in Vilnius claimed that they were planning to tamper with the ballot papers in one way or another.
“We know what we’re up against, but we haven’t figured out how to make it more interesting to vote,” one couple joked. The guy, who did not want to introduce himself, claimed that he has been living in Lithuania for two years – he left as soon as the war in Ukraine started, because he did not want to live in the aggressor country.
Kirilas, who has lived in Lithuania for four years, answered the questions in Lithuanian. He claimed that he did not come to vote, but to take part in the action initiated by A.Navalno.
“I want them to see that even here we support the action, we are strong, we are united, that we do not support the current government. I understand that my vote will not change anything, but basically the elections in Russia will not change anything,” said Kirill.
VIDEO: People are already gathering near the Russian embassy in Vilnius: some to vote, others to the campaign “Midday against Putin”
When asked if he did not feel like he was contributing to the legalization of Putin’s election when he came to vote, Kirill said that it is much more difficult to falsify elections in foreign departments, so the number of spoiled ballots should be telling.
According to Kirill, there is currently no opposition left in Russia that could give a proper response to the regime, so the elections are being turned into a farce from both sides.
“The real Russian opposition is now fighting in Belgorod. These are the Russian Volunteer Corps, the Russian Freedom Battalion, and other partisans. In this way, the situation in the country will not change”, said the interlocutor confidently.
When people who had already voted were asked if they were pressured to vote for a certain candidate, they said that the whole process was conducted in an orderly and polite manner. Embassy employees did not urge those who came not to spoil the ballot papers, did not give any additional instructions.
A.Navalno’s comrades arrived
Around 1:00 p.m. the closest associates of A. Navalno, who died in prison, also arrived at the embassy – Marija Pevčich, Georgijus Alburovas, Ivan Ždanov and Vladimir Milov.
“For a long time, I don’t remember so many people coming to support the purely Russian diaspora. This is an inspiring moment for many”, one of the organizers of the action, I. Ždanovas, director of the Fight against Corruption Foundation (FBK) founded by A. Navalnos, operating in Lithuania, told BNS.
Paulius Peleckis/BNS photo/Ivanas Ždanovas
He insisted that he understood that the action was symbolic, and the people who lined up to vote would not determine the outcome of the elections in Russia, but he emphasized that many dictatorships fell after symbolic actions of people’s resistance.
I. Ždanovas said that Russia is increasingly turning into a dictatorship, which is proven by V. Putin’s undoubted victory in the elections.
“The dark times are not over yet. They will continue and we need to fight against it,” said the opposition member.
15 min photo/Ivan Ždanovas, Georgijus Alburovas, Marija Pevčich
When asked if he intends to go to vote, I. Ždanovas said that he is still considering it, because he heard that a citizen’s passport is taken during the voting procedure.
“And he’s alone with me, I wouldn’t want to lose him,” joked the opposition member.
VIDEO: The US national anthem was also played at the Russian embassy in Vilnius: an activist brought a trumpet and a flag
When asked if he felt safe in Vilnius after the recent incident in which the former head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Leonidas Volkovs, was attacked, I. Ždanovas said that he felt safe in Vilnius, although he admitted that some additional measures had been taken, but he could not elaborate which.
V.Milovas was happy with the gathered crowd of people, according to him, the main goal of the campaign is that the whole world will talk about the queues at the ballot boxes at midnight on Sunday, and not “Putin’s election”.
He claimed that this will be followed by more opposition actions directed against V. Putin’s regime.
There were no conflicts
Although not only the participants of the “Midday against Putin” campaign gathered at the Russian embassy on Sunday, but also Lithuanian Russians who support V. Putin, no major conflicts arose, although there were occasional swear words.
VIDEO: On Sunday afternoon, the queue at the Russian Embassy in Vilnius does not decrease
Most verbal conflicts arose between Lithuanians who came to protest against the elections and voters standing in line.
Valdas Bartkevičius, a public figure, was even at the epicenter of the road. According to him, Russian citizens who came to vote are only legitimizing V. Putin’s election, not fighting the regime. Later, the man was taken aside by police officers, but soon returned.
Due to the chilly weather and the slow-moving line, not everyone who came uses their right to vote – some simply turn around and go home after a while.
At 2:00 p.m., the queue outside the embassy is still encircling the building and moving quite slowly.
Russia is “turning into a gulag”
The 71-year-old V. Putin, a former KGB agent, has been in power since the last day of 1999, and after this election he will probably rule until at least the 2030s.
If he completes another term in the Kremlin, he will have ruled longer than any Russian leader since Catherine II in the 18th century.
No real opposition candidate was allowed to participate in the elections.
This encouraged some of the Russians who voted in Vilnius to spoil the ballots.
“Unfortunately, there was nothing to vote for. (…) There was nothing that was of interest,” 40-year-old Olga, who has been living in Lithuania since 2017 and came from Pavolgis, told BNS.
According to her, Putin’s regime does “nothing good” for Russia.
“Smart people are leaving the country, it is gradually turning into a gulag where you can’t speak, people who stay are afraid to think about something, to communicate with their friends. Such an environment is abnormal,” said the woman.
42-year-old Vladimir Kuznetsov, who has not lived in Russia for six years, said he voted for Vladislav Davankov, a representative of the New People’s Party.
“We don’t know how it will end, but we have to try. Authoritarian regimes fail imperceptibly – no one expects it, everyone thinks it’s forever until it ends. (…) That is why it is necessary to do everything possible”, said V. Kuznecovas.
“The war (in Ukraine – BNS) is the main reason for dissatisfaction with Putin,” said V. Kuznetsov.
Photo by Pauliaus Peleckis/BNS/Rally at the Russian Embassy
“Fords don’t change horses in the middle”
However, the Kremlin portrays the election as an opportunity to show the Russians that they support the attack in Ukraine, and echoes of such support were also heard among the voters in Vilnius who gathered outside the Russian embassy from 8 o’clock in the morning.
“There is a proverb: in the middle of the ford, horses do not change. clear? You choose during the war the one who is experienced, leads the country that started the war. And keep collecting until the war is over,” 66-year-old Andrejjus, who works in construction, told BNS.
77-year-old Igor said he voted for stability.
According to him, stability not only in his country, but also in Lithuania depends on the President of Russia.
“I want Lithuania not to go to war with anyone, not to bring back coffins, so that the presidents of Lithuania do not participate in the funerals of those fighters whom Lithuania sends to fight in various places. I want Lithuanians to live, not fight,” the Russian told reporters.
FBK volunteer Dmitry Nizovtsev claimed that the Russian opposition keeps finding opportunities to speak out against Putin.
“There are many people against Putin. He knows and he is afraid. But he will have to sweat to find other ways to suppress people’s resistance, because new ones will appear again,” he told reporters and called on the international community not to recognize the election results.
Next to the action of the Russian opposition, another protest was organized in Vilnius, directed against the violations of the rights of LGBTQ+ persons in Russia.
One of the organizers of the protest, Jokūbs Tvaska, told BNS that the persecution of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia has increased, which is being done in order to divide the country’s opposition.
“As much as Ukrainians are fighting at the front and as much as the Russian opposition is fighting inside the country or here, we all need to fight together and join our forces to have a completely unbreakable wall against Putin,” said the 21-year-old history student.
Access to the Russian Embassy in Lithuania was monitored by police officers.
Three days of voting in the Russian presidential election have already been marred by Ukrainian air attacks, incursions of pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups into Russian territory and vandalism in election precincts.
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2024-04-10 00:37:08