Polls have opened in regional elections in Russia, which opposition activists say are a farce, after hundreds of anti-war candidates were barred from running.
Ballots are being held in almost every part of the country at various different levels, from local councils to regional governors.
But only a handful of races will feature a candidate from Yabloko, the only political party in Russia that opposes the war in Ukraine.
The party says it put forward around 350 candidates in total but that only 65 were allowed on the ballot after authorities found irregularities with their paperwork.
“Right now, the authorities want deputies at all levels to be as loyal as possible,” Maria Chuprina, one of Yabloko’s barred candidates, told Sky News.
“Such is the current federal agenda, there shouldn’t be anything that reminds us that Russia is in conflict.”
Maria Chuprina, from the Yabloko party, campaigning
Ms Chuprina attempted to run for a seat in the Moscow City Duma and was required to gather thousands of signatures of support to register her candidacy.
But despite meeting the benchmark, her application was rejected on the basis that it wasn’t filled out correctly.
Some supporters’ details supposedly contained commas and full stops in the wrong place.
“If someone wrote their address differently to how it’s written in their passport, then their signature was considered invalid, even if it was written by a real person,” she said.
“For example, the passport says Number 15, but they wrote No.15, then it’s invalid.”
Ms Chuprina appealed against the decision in court but a judge ruled against her.
“The huge number of documents [that candidates must submit] allows them to come up with any reason they want,” she said.
“This is solely a protective measure so authorities can decide who is allowed on the ballot and who isn’t.”
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Yabloko’s slogan “Za Mir i Svobodu” translates as “For Peace and Freedom”. A second line calls for a ceasefire.
The mere utterance of such words in Russia can result in a prison sentence – there have been countless examples since the start of the war in Ukraine.
So why are some still willing to take the risk?
A military enlistment stand at a metro station in Moscow
“There’s no other way for us,” Nikolay Rybakov, Yabloko’s leader, told Sky News.
“We are on a big train but this train is on the way to catastrophe. We need to stop this train.”
By contrast, the Communist Party, which is portrayed as an opposition group, has been allowed to register more than 3,000 candidates.
But then again, the party supports both the war in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin.
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Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov at a campaign event in central Moscow
“He’s on the same level as King Arthur and the Round Table,” said Roman Ustyuzhanin, a Communist Party candidate in Moscow, when asked how Russia’s president compares with other leaders.
“A personality on a par with Peter the Great. But not Napoleon, Putin is bigger,” he added.
With opposition like that, there’s no need for the Kremlin to worry – the results are a foregone conclusion.
