Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, attended a dinner protest against President Vladimir Putin in Berlin on Sunday.
Navalnaya spokesman Kira Yarmysh posted photos on X of the dissident queuing in the German capital, where Russians lined up to vote. Activists said some people shouted ‘Yulia, Yulia’ and clapped.
Votes from Russian citizens living in other countries were cast all over the world.
In Britain, dozens of people queued outside the Russian embassy in London to vote in the election. The queue was at least half a kilometer long when MailOnline visited.
Alexander, a 24-year-old former artilleryman in the Russian army told MailOnline today that he was not sure anyone but Vladimir Putin would win the election.
Navalnaya spokesman Kira Yarmysh posted photos on X of the dissident queuing in the German capital, where Russians lined up to vote
A protester in Paris held a sign accusing the despot of being an assassin
Alexander, a 24-year-old former artilleryman in the Russian army, (pictured) told MailOnline today that he was not sure anyone other than Vladimir Putin would win the election
A man was seen carrying a speaker and blasting music up and down the huge queue to the polling station at the embassy
He said: ‘(I think) Putin will win. I’m not very happy about that. He has killed the nation and its next generation. There are many fathers (in Ukraine) and too many children will grow up without their fathers. Too many children’s mental health will be damaged.’
Despite this, Alexander said he did not want to simply give up, given how much opposition leader Alexei Navalny gave to serve his country.
‘Navalny taught us never to give up. He was a brave person who was not afraid. He believed that Russia would be better than it is now. I believe in this. It’s a beautiful country”.
He added that the hope that the next leader of Russia after Putin would be someone who looked after the roughly 143 million people who live in the nation.
‘Whenever a dictator or a king rises, everyone wants their power for themselves. I hope we have a president who makes life in the nation better.’
Ekaterina, a 42-year-old office worker, said she and her friend had been waiting at the embassy for almost three and a half hours when MailOnline spoke to her.
Ekaterina, a 42-year-old office worker, (pictured) said she and her friend had been waiting at the embassy for almost three and a half hours
The queue outside the embassy was at least half a kilometer long
Many were seen dressed in satirical costumes
‘We haven’t had lunch and my back hurts, but otherwise it’s great because you can see so many people who are on the same page as you and that you’re not the only one. It supports you from within.
‘You feel confident and that you are doing the right thing. I’m proud of myself, and I hope that my children, when they grow up, will be proud of me too.’
Despite her upbeat attitude, she also said she was not hopeful about how the election would turn out. But that wouldn’t stop her from going to the embassy to cast her vote.
‘We just can’t be silent. We know we don’t want to change anything, but staying silent just isn’t right.
‘I know it won’t change anything, we all know that. But to do nothing, to not show that you don’t agree with something bad, it’s like saying “I’m not strong enough, I can’t help here”.’
Over in Paris, a large line of people was seen outside the Russian embassy, while protesters were seen in nearby green spaces holding up signs with messages critical of Putin written on them.
One protester held a sign accusing the despot of being an assassin, while another compared Putin to Stalin and called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ‘genocide’ and ‘terrorism’.
Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny, speaks with a woman during a demonstration near the Russian embassy in Berlin
People take part in a demonstration in Berlin, near the Russian embassy, where voters lined up to cast their ballots in the Russian presidential election
In Russia itself, the main means of protest across the nation has been the ‘Dinner Against Putin’ movement.
Thousands across the nation who oppose the veteran Kremlin leader went to their local polling station at noon to either destroy their ballots in protest or to vote for one of the three candidates running against Putin.
Others had pledged to put the name of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died last month in an Arctic prison, on their ballot.
Navalny’s allies posted videos on YouTube of queues of people queuing at various polling stations across Russia at midday, who they said were there to protest peacefully.
Navalny had endorsed the ‘Dinner Against Putin’ plan in a social media announcement facilitated by his lawyers before he died. The independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta called the planned action ‘Navalny’s political testament’.
Navalny’s allies post videos on YouTube of lines of people queuing at various polling stations across Russia at noon
The Kremlin casts Navalny’s political allies – most of whom are based outside Russia – as dangerous extremists out to destabilize the country on behalf of the West
Despite the protesters – who represent a tiny fraction of Russia’s 114 million voters – Putin tightened his grip on power in an election that is sure to give him a landslide victory.
The Kremlin casts Navalny’s political allies – most of whom are based outside Russia – as dangerous extremists out to destabilize the country on behalf of the West.
It says Putin enjoys overwhelming support among ordinary Russians, pointing to opinion polls that put his approval rating above 80%.
With Russia’s vast land mass spanning 11 time zones, protest voters were spread out rather than concentrated into a single mass, making it difficult to estimate how many people turned out for the protest event.
The size of the queues at each polling station shown on Navalny’s channel ranged from a few dozen people to what looked like several hundred people.