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In photos: Russians abroad hold peace rallies on the main day of voting in Russia’s State Duma elections as voters at home write ‘No war’ on ballots

meduza.io · 6h · first reportShare

September 20 is the final day of voting in Russia’s State Duma elections. The Russian opposition had urged voters to cast their ballots that day at exactly noon local time to protest Russia’s war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year. Many voters in several countries turned out at that hour, though fewer participated than in the 2024 “Noon Against Putin” protest. Eyewitnesses in cities across Russia said only a few people showed up to vote at noon. Lines did form outside polling places in Moscow, but most were likely due to a technical failure that left voters unable to obtain paper ballots. Here’s what the protests looked like in Russia and abroad during the parliamentary elections.