A man has been jailed after writing “Putin is a d***head” on his ballot in Russia’s sham elections.
Stanislav Morozov was arrested on petty hooliganism charges after sharing a video of his small act of rebellion.
Mr Morozov is a blogger and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin who has previously called the Russian leader “evil”.
An undercover police officer in civilian clothes arrested him in Penza, western Russia, shortly after he posted the clip.
Mr Morozov has investigated military press gangs in the town, revealing how Russian military recruiters have stopped men on the streets and forced them to enlist.
He has also formed a community watch to protect vulnerable men from being taken to recruitment offices.
His mother, Elena, told Russian independent news website 7×7 he had been sentenced to 14 days of “administrative detention”.
The Kremlin claims men are not forced to enlist on the frontlines, but analysts have suggested recruitment is a major struggle.
Stanislav Morozov’s mother said he was now serving 14 days for scribbling on his ballot
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TELEGRAM
The sham election, held between September 18 to 20, was won by Mr Putin’s party in a landslide.
Voters were handed pre-marked ballots, some Russians alleged on social media.
Others have said voting slips were tampered with or disappeared.
Mr Putin framed the first national elections since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a referendum on the conflict.
Vladimir Putin said his landslide victory proved Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had a democratic mandate
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REUTERS
His party won nearly 80 per cent of the seats in the Duma – Moscow’s equivalent to the House of Commons – after winning more than 57 per cent of the votes.
He claimed the reported 59.3 per cent turnout proved the invasion into Ukraine now had a democratic mandate.
Commenting on the sham results for the first time, he said: “Such a high, even record, number of people who came out and voted shows that the people of Russia support our efforts aimed at strengthening the country.”
In a direct address to frontline forces, he added: “This vote is for you.
“People believe in you, believe in our victory, believe in your courage, in your heroism.”
Marco Rubio invited Vladimir Putin to the G20 after a bilateral meeting with Russian counterparts
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REUTERS
The US has continued its efforts to end the war after envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and Kyiv earlier this month.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and invited Mr Putin to the December G20 meeting in Miami, Florida.
“We’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” Mr Rubio said after the meeting. “We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders.
“We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was “grateful and appreciative” for the invitation, which is now working through “diplomatic channels”.
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