With the Kremlin in full control of state media and able to decide who can and cannot run, the Navalny camp says this is not a real election. “Of course it’s impossible to beat Putin in the ‘elections’,” top Navalny aide Leonid Volkov said. With the line-up still unclear, the Navalny camp has launched its campaign by simply urging Russians to vote against the incumbent. Within hours of parliament announcing the March 17 election on Thursday, the Navalny camp had fired its first shot. Ms. Sobol said Opposition polling showed many people were dissatisfied with Mr. Putin but were afraid to speak out.

Source: The Hindu December 11, 2023 08:42 UTC