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'Completely rigged': Russian diaspora protest on last day of parliamentary election

Published on September 20, 2026 at 18:52

'Completely rigged': Russian diaspora protest on last day of parliamentary election — Thomas PERROTEAU, TAREK ANI, STRINGER / AFP

Dozens of opposition protesters gather outside the Russian embassy in Berlin on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections and shred fake votes into ballot boxes. In Belgrade, Russian opposition organisers and voters bring apples in solidarity with Russia's banned anti-war party Yabloko ('apple' in Russian), collecting donations and writing letters to Russian political prisoners. Only parties that support President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin's military campaign in Ukraine have been registered to run in the parliamentary election.

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