Despite the broad support enjoyed by incumbent President Vladimir Putin in Russia, the Kremlin expressed concern over the outcome of the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to Ella Pamfilowa, the head of the Central Election Commission, some Russian citizens who have left the country, as well as others who are still in Russia, have begun to discredit the elections in advance. Pamfilowa’s statement suggests that the Russian government will further intensify its censorship efforts under the guise of combating attempted internal election manipulations ahead of the presidential elections. Putin also declared on November 15 at a meeting with representatives of the Russian Election Commission that the Russian government would suppress any foreign or domestic election interference.
Two unnamed sources from Russian federal and regional authorities stated in an article published on November 22 by the Russian opposition newspaper Verstka that the Kremlin had instructed Russian regional authorities to prevent relatives of mobilized personnel from protesting by paying them off.
Image: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, Vladimir Putin (September 30, 2023).jpg, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)”
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