Russian Voters Head to Polls in Yerevan for Russia’s Parliamentary Election as Protesters Chant ‘No War’
INTERVIEWS: Thousands of Russian citizens turned out to vote in Armenia on Sunday in Russia’s parliamentary election, forming a long line outside the Russian Embassy in Yerevan as anti-war protesters gathered nearby with signs opposing President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.
The Armenian Report was at the embassy as Russians living in Armenia waited to cast their ballots in the first State Duma election since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.
By noon, about 1,000 people had voted at the embassy, according to Russian state media. By 3 p.m., 1,808 ballots had been cast at polling stations in Yerevan and Gyumri, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin told reporters. The final turnout in Armenia was not immediately available.
Some voters also joined the “Noon for a Peaceful Russia” protest outside the embassy, where demonstrators carried anti-war and anti-Putin signs.
Speakers told the crowd that Russians abroad had a responsibility to speak for those inside the country who could not publicly oppose the war.
“Putin’s regime has been trying for years to convince us that we are a minority,” one protester said. “But the absolute reality is that we have millions of like-minded people in Russia — people who are against this war, people who want to live in a free, peaceful, democratic and prosperous country.”
“They can’t speak in Russia now,” the protester continued. “We should be their voice.”
The gathering ended with repeated chants of “No war!”
Russia’s three-day election concluded Sunday after a campaign in which most anti-war candidates were excluded from the ballot. The liberal Yabloko party, which publicly criticized the war, was removed from the nationwide party ballot by Russia’s Supreme Court, though some of its candidates competed in individual districts.
President Vladimir Putin had framed the election as a demonstration of national unity and support for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. Russia’s Central Election Commission reported nationwide turnout of 56.66% when polls closed.
For some Russians voting in Yerevan, however, the election was an opportunity to register opposition to the Kremlin’s policies even if they had little expectation of changing the outcome.
Daniel Ioannisyan, an Armenian election expert who spoke with The Armenian Report outside the embassy, said the ballots themselves could still send a message to Russian authorities.
“These are not elections. This is a referendum for or against the war,” Ioannisyan said.
He argued that the Kremlin would pay attention to the actual level of support for its policies, regardless of the official results.
“If they actually see that they don’t have the support of society, they will be much more careful,” he said.
Ioannisyan also raised concerns about voting in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, where Moscow organized elections despite objections from Kyiv and the European Union. Ukraine and the EU have called the voting in occupied Ukrainian territory illegal.
Among those who came to vote in Yerevan was a Russian political activist who said he left Tula after facing pressure from authorities over his political activity.
“Some of my colleagues were arrested, including me,” he told The Armenian Report. “After that, Russian police told us that we were going to be put in jail. And we had no choice.”
He said Armenia became his destination after the decision to leave Russia had to be made quickly.
“Only Armenia is so friendly for Russian immigrants,” he said.
The activist said he and others in the Russian community were also preparing for the possibility of another military mobilization.
“We think it will happen,” he said, adding that he feared it could be larger than the partial mobilization Putin announced in September 2022.
Russian authorities have not announced another mobilization.
Another Russian citizen living in Armenia said he knew the chances of changing Russia’s political direction through the ballot box were small but believed voting was still necessary.
“I think it’s important to vote,” he told The Armenian Report. “The main party needs to lose. I know the chances are very low, but we need to try.”
He said he was following tactical voting recommendations promoted by allies of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, aimed at weakening the ruling United Russia party.
Asked whether Russians living abroad could still influence events inside their country, he acknowledged the limits of their position.
“The chances are very low,” he said. “Maybe 1%, maybe less. But I think we still have maybe a 1% chance. We need to try.”
The scenes in Yerevan were echoed in other cities outside Russia, where Russians who left the country after the invasion of Ukraine turned election day into a public expression of opposition to the war.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians have left the country since 2022, with Armenia among the destinations for those who relocated. Reuters reported Sunday that Russian voters in Yerevan and other cities abroad described participating in the election as an act of protest and solidarity despite doubts that their ballots would change the political outcome.
Inside Russia, the election took place under tight restrictions on political opposition. Anti-war politicians have been imprisoned, barred from running or forced into exile, while Russia did not invite observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to monitor the vote.
For the Russians gathered outside the embassy in Yerevan, the significance of Sunday’s vote extended beyond who would occupy the State Duma’s 450 seats.
For some, simply standing in line, casting a ballot and publicly saying “No war” was the message.
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