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Presidential election in Russia: a vote in the heart of Adviivka, a town taken by the Kremlin
For Russia, organizing the presidential election in the Donbass territories that it controls is a fait accompli. She wants to make their annexation irreversible. A team from France Télévisions was able to go to the very last city they took: Avdiivka.
In the midst of war, an electoral ballot box circulates among the rubble in Avdiivka. For the first time, the Russians have authorized Western television to film the city, taken a month ago. At the foot of the destroyed buildings, residents talk about the difficult survival and the fear of fighting. “I don’t understand where it comes from, what’s happening, we still live in the cellars“, confides a woman.
An improvised polling station in a cellar
The vote takes place under cover, in the cellars. A makeshift office is manned by men wearing balaclavas. Residents use their Ukrainian passports to vote in the Russian presidential election. They claim to vote of their own free will.We are now in Russia, so we must vote“, said a woman. For Russians, organizing the vote in Avdiivka, at all costs, despite the danger, is sending a message. “The election will be held in Avdiivka, as it is the territory of Russian Federation“, said one of the organizers of the vote.
“Of course, the organization of this organization here is denounced by the other side, by the Ukrainian side which calls it a masquerade. kyiv has never renounced its sovereignty over its territories“, comments Luc Lacroix, special envoy to areas controlled by the Russians.
