×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Ukrainians in Moscow Flock to Vote in Parliamentary Elections

Turnout at the polling station in Moscow for Ukraine's snap parliamentary elections Sunday topped the previous vote, an election official said.

In total, 406 people had cast their ballots in the Russian capital four hours before the vote's end, 30 more than in 2012, station head Viktor Girzhov was cited by RIA Novosti as saying.

Another 104 bungled the paperwork required to vote in Russia and were not allowed to fill in a ballot paper, he said.

Girzhov forecasted the final turnout in Moscow at about 500. Updated figures were unavailable as of this article's publication.

The Verkhovna Rada vote comes after months of political turmoil, the ousting of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in February amid street violence, Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March and a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine, which NATO and official Kiev say is backed by Moscow. The Kremlin denies the allegations.

Twenty-nine parties were competing in the vote, expected to boost the grip on power of pro-Western president Petro Poroshenko.

A government-run website tracking violation reports counted 2,850 vote-related offenses as of this article's publication.

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more