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
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.
Vilnius
A protest outside the Russian embassy in Vilnius. Participants hold posters featuring photos of Yabloko representative Maxim Kruglov, Golos co-chair Grigory Melkonyants and former municipal deputy Alexei Gorinov, all of whom have been convicted in Russia
Petras Malukas / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
Dmitry Nizovtsev, an employee of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, at the Russian embassy, where a polling station was set up
Mindaugas Kulbis / AP / Scanpix / LETA
A line forms at the polling station inside the embassy
Petras Malukas / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
The Hague
A protest outside the Russian embassy in The Hague, Netherlands
Koen Van Weel / EPA / Scanpix / LETA
Russia
Provided to Meduza
Yerevan
A protest outside the Russian embassy in Yerevan
Karen Minasyan / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
A line forms outside the embassy
Karen Minasyan / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
London
Participants in a rally in support of Ukraine outside the Russian embassy
Justin Tallis / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
Berlin
A protest outside the Russian embassy in Berlin. A man with a Ukrainian flag draped over his shoulders feeds a spoiled ballot into a shredder designed to look like a ballot box.
Maryam Majd / Reuters / Scanpix / LETA
Jens Schluter / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
Russian politician Andrei Pivovarov addresses participants in a protest in Berlin
Jens Schluter / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
Jens Schluter / AFP / Scanpix / LETA
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