‘We are for our dearest Lukashenka. Oh, sorry, for Putin!’ How Russians vote in Belarus
Today, on March 18, Russians are electing their president. Eight candidates are running for the post, but the Russian citizens, who have cast their votes today in Minsk, tell a Belsat crew that ‘there is no one to elect but Putin.’
Since early morning, there has been a crowd at the Russian Embassy in Minsk. In spite of wintry weather, people have been waiting in line for hours to get to the polling station. There are many expensive cars and women in fur coats. Some bring their small children to the embassy. When asked why, they answer: “We want them to feel the atmosphere.”
There is a metal frame at the entrance, two guards inspect things that voters take to the polling station. Plaincloth Belarusian policemen are also spotted here. Suddenly, a group of about fifteen persons go out of the embassy: all of them have souvenir bags with the words ‘Choose Your Future’ and cups and pens in them. Not each voter receives such a gift.
“We have come here voluntarily! No one bribed us or compelled to vote!” an older woman shoots back when asked why they have been given souvenirs. A minute later, a man in civvies appears and prevents our cameraman from filming. The only thing we have learnt is that the group is from Luninets, Hrodna region. They get into a blue van and drive off.
One can enter the embassy only after showing a Russian passport. Possessing a residence permit is not enough to vote. Journalists are let in only if they have press cards. There is a huge room with a glassy ceiling and a fountain in the middle.
Two ribbons – St. George’s and a Russian tricolor – are handed over to those who have already cast their ballot. A small boy asks his father: “Vote – what does it mean?” His dad silently gives him a St. George ribbon and the boy grips it.
Coffee, tea, Borjomi water are offered to visitors. A banner on the wall encourages to treat ourselves with hot Ossetian pies, but there are not any pies in the room.
“I do not support [Alexei] Navalny’s line, but I like the way he organizes his opposition activities, his videos on YouTube… [Ksenia] Sobchak is not a politician, she is more famous for her participating in TV show Dom-2. Putin is the most sound candidate. The main advantage of Putin? Army. He strengthened the defense capability of Russia,” Svetlana, who has votes for the first time in her life, says.
“There is peace, calm, no war. In which military conflicts do Russians die? Syria? This does not count, It is not puting but the international situation that made our soldiers go there,” another voter tells belsat.eu.
Some interviewees do admit that Russia is experiencing economic problems, but they do not pin the troubles on the country’s leadership. An elderly man says that the Kremlin foreign policy is ‘wonderful’, but ‘Anglo-Saxons’ are to blame. He asks us whether we happen to come from Ukraine.
His friend says: “We have no issue with Ukrainians, only with their government. The Ukrainians are our brothers, as well as you Belarusians.”
Many visitors have been living in Belarus for a long time; they have a local residence permit and the citizenship of the Russian Federation.
“Belarus is my former homeland. I was born here, but worked in Russia. I moved here after retiring,” an old man in the queue says.
We ask women who are drinking coffee near the stand with the candidates’ photos to name Putin’s main merit or achievement withing his latest term in office.
“It is definitely Crimea! The restitution of Crimea. Words cannot do it justice what Sevastopol means to a Russian heart!” one of them exclaims.
We witness a rush at the polling station: voters take selfies and photos next to ballot boxes, flags, observers. By the way, the observers’ table is 10 metres from the boxes. The whole room is full.
Alexei Moskalev, Press Secretary for the embassy, says: “Such a large number of people appeared neither at previous presidential nor at parliamentary elections.”
Rossotrudnichestvo, the federal agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation, has launched a social media campaign to join a flashmob by taking a selfie at polling station and using the hashtag #ВаженКаждыйГолос (Every vote is important).
We ask two elderly women walking near the fountain for whom they have voted.
“We are for our dearest Lukashenka! Oh, sorry, for our dearest Putin! We like Putin very much! What a handsome he is! It is a pity he is so far away and I cannot hug him!”
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The presidential election-2018 is in progress in Russia. On March 18, about 96,000 polling stations have opened in the country at 08:00 local time. The voting will last until 20:00.
Neighbouring Kyiv decided not to allow Russian citizens, except for diplomats, to the territory of Russian diplomatic institutions in Ukraine to participate in the election.
Reporting by Каtsyaryna Andreyeva, photos by Iryna Arakhouskaya, belsat.eu
