Putin has been in charge of Russia for almost 25 years (Picture: Getty/AP/Metro.co.uk)
All eyes are on Vladimir Putin on the first day of Russia’s presidential election which is expected to cement his grip on power until at least 2030.
Polling stations opened today – including in the four annexed Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia – but there is no doubt he will win a fifth term.
Russia’s state-controlled Central Election Commission disqualified two candidates on technical grounds. Other opponents are rotting in jail or exiled abroad.
Recent events, including the death and alleged killing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, show how far the president is willing to go to silence dissent.
Dan Storyev, managing editor at OVD-Info, a human rights monitor focused on Russia, said nowhere is safe for those opposing the Kremlin’s war.
Putin’s reach beyond Russia’s borders
He warned that Putin will only intensify repression abroad after his ‘coronation’ in the elections.
Police detain a man trying to lay flowers to honour Alexei Navalny at a monument in St Petersburg, Russia (Picture: AP)
Mr Storyev told Metro.co.uk: ‘What we will see more often – something to keep an eye on – is transnational repression. The diaspora community will be targeted outside of Russia.
‘This is happening all around us. It will impact people outside of Russia. They will make their way into Britain and the rest of Europe.
‘They already did – the Salisbury poisonings of Sergei and Yulia Skripal; then the assassination of a Chechen guerrilla fighter in Berlin.
‘These are the super high-profile cases in recent years, but we might see Russia going after activists who sought shelter in London or Berlin for example.’
Maksim Kuzminov, pilot of a Russian military Mi-8 helicopter, who defected to Ukraine (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
Assassination of defected Russian pilot
Russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov was gunned down in the town of Villajoyosa, near Alicante, with Spanish intelligence services accusing the Kremlin of orchestrating his murder.
The 33-year-old had defected to Ukraine, flying with his Mi-8 helicopter in August 2023, and had since fled to Spain.
Spanish media reported that assassins shot him six times before running him over with a car.
The murder became the centre of an international scandal, with Russian emigres in Spain appealing for more protection against the Kremlin.
Regression of human rights in Russia under Putin
Power in Russia’s authoritarian political system is all in the hands of Vladimir Putin.
With help from oligarchs and subservient loyalists in the Kremlin, he controls the legal system, the media and the presidential elections.
Freedom House gave the country 13/100 score in this year’s report, a three-point regression from 2023.
Here are some key lines from the report:
Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections? – 0/4
Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections? – 0/4
Do the people have the right to organise in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings? – 1/4
Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? – 1/4
Does the government operate with openness and transparency? – 0/4
Are there free and independent media? – 0/4
Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution? – 0/4
Is there protection from the illegitimate use of physical force and freedom from war and insurgencies? – 0/4
Follow Metro on WhatsApp to be the first to get all the latest news
Follow us to receive the latest news updates from Metro (Picture: Getty Images)
Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.
Members of the self-exiled Bi-2 band (Picture: Schekinov Alexey Victorovich)
Extradition of rock band from Thailand
Pressure was also put on Thailand to deport the seven members of the Belarusian Bi-2, a self-exiled rock band known for its opposition to the war.
They were detained for breaking immigration rules while performing two concerts at the resort island of Phuket.
After Russia’s failed attempt to extradite them, the musicians fled from Thailand to Israel.
Mr Storyev said: ‘I think the most important thing right now… is to make sure that we keep an eye on Russia…
The Kremlin tried to get the Belarusian musicians deported to Russia (Picture: Getty)
‘This could get far, far worse if the Kremlin feels as if no one is watching.’
Putin relies on assassination as a tool, targeting former insiders seen as threats to the security of his regime.
Activists and deserters detained and jailed
At a minimum, in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Germany, and the UK the Kremlin has shown a willingness to kill enemies abroad, and this has only intensified since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A report by Freedom House documented several cases of transnational repression in 2023.
Putin during a rally and a concert celebrating the fourth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow on March 18, 2018 (Picture: AFP)
In May, Kyrgyzstani authorities deported activist Aleksey Rozhkov to Russia, where he is accused of setting fire to a military recruitment center.
In Kazakhstan, five incidents involved either anti-war commentators or defectors, all detained at the request of the Russian government.
And finally, military police in Armenia forcibly returned deserter Dmitry Setrakov to Russia, where a criminal case has been opened against him for leaving his unit.
He added about the elections: ‘This is a coronation, not an election… It is just a show the Kremlin puts on every few years.’
A portrait of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is placed amid flowers at his grave the day after the funeral at the Borisovskoye cemetery in Moscow (Picture: Reuters)
‘There is no public support for Putin; there is forced apathy. The votes are simply manipulated, artificially generated.’
Mr Storyev also reflected on the portrayal of Russians, saying: ‘It is important to push back against the dehumanisation of Russians.
Russians are not the homogenous mass that only knows how to kowtow to Putin.
‘The way some Western pundits paint Russians… signals to them that they are all alone and you cannot really fight the Kremlin alone.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.