BELGRADE: Konstantin fled Russia to keep away from being drafted into the military to combat in Ukraine. However he nonetheless desires to have his voice heard in Russia’s elections later this month — regardless that he has nobody to vote for.
Like lots of the 1000’s of Russian exiles now residing in Serbia, he stays deeply engaged along with his homeland even when there’s little hope that the political state of affairs there’ll change anytime quickly.
Broke and residing in a threadbare condominium in Belgrade, life overseas has had its challenges.
However exile has given the 26-year-old political respiration area unimaginable again house.
“In Russia you can be arrested for something,” he stated.
“It is not a query, it is a sturdy truth,” he advised AFP.
With anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin disqualified, Konstantin stated he deliberate to forged a clean poll in protest.
“These elections are usually not democratic elections. They’re authoritarian elections,” he stated.
Tens of millions of Russians residing overseas are eligible to vote within the ballot, largely seen as a rubber stamp for Russian President Vladimir Putin to tighten his grip on energy.
Voting is being held in nations the place Moscow has diplomatic missions — together with states it considers “unfriendly”.
Round 280 polling stations can be open in some 140 territories, in line with the Central Election Fee’s web site.
Most can be open throughout the identical three-day interval as again in Russia — from March 15 to 17 — whereas some embassies will present the chance for early voting, in line with the TASS information company.
“It is my civil obligation,” stated Viktor, a 35-year-old Russian residing in Novi Unhappy, north of Belgrade. “I’ll vote for anyone however Putin.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of 1000’s of Russians have settled in Serbia, the place the neighborhood has largely flourished.
Some have opened eating places or began tech corporations and different companies, making a noticeable and buzzy impression on the Serbian capital.
Serbia has additionally provided room for political activists nonetheless angling to stay related in Russia.
In latest weeks Russian expats have organised protests in opposition to the battle in Ukraine, held memorial ceremonies following the demise of opposition chief Alexei Navalny, and petitioned for Nadezhdin’s candidacy.
“Right here we’ve got a possibility to remain on the road and say the issues we are saying to you as we speak,” Ksenia Kuznetsova, a 33-year-old Russian, advised AFP on the sidelines of an anti-war protest.
“All of my associates, all of my household [that] stayed in Russia, don’t have any voice. And I really feel an obligation to do it as an alternative of them,” she added.
Whereas she deliberate to vote, Kuznetsova is fearful about having to enter the Russian embassy to forged her poll.
Some additionally fear that Moscow is ramping up strain on the Russian diaspora the world over.
For Elena Koposova and her household of 4, that concern is all too actual. They confronted imminent deportation from Serbia after their residency allow was rejected with out clarification.
The rejection follows years of residing lawfully in Serbia after leaving Russia practically a decade in the past.
Koposova’s household had invested in a enterprise, despatched their kids to Serbian colleges, discovered the language and largely stayed out of politics.
“We’re very law-abiding individuals, very quiet in our life,” she advised AFP. “I’ve by no means been politically lively in Serbia, nor in Russia…”
With one exception, Koposova admitted. She signed an anti-war petition.
This might need been sufficient to be a magnet for Russian intelligence companies, she suspects, who pressured their Serbian allies to behave.
“They actually don’t need individuals exterior Russia [to] say something in opposition to battle ever, and this act in opposition to our household is sort of random,” she added.
They really feel an instance has been manufactured from them to scare others.
“Different individuals hear about it and they are going to be afraid to say something in any respect,” she stated.
The household appealed the choice and on Friday it appeared they could get a reprieve from Serbian authorities.
However the story has rattled the Russian neighborhood in Serbia, and got here after a Russian exile recognized for organising cultural occasions had his residence allow annulled, forcing him to go away.
Elsewhere, singer and comic Maxim Galkin stated he was denied entry into Indonesia for a live performance in Bali in January, whereas the anti-war Russian rock band Bi-2 was briefly detained by Thai authorities, sparking fears they might be deported to Russia.
But the crackdowns — together with Navalny’s demise in a Russian jail final month — has solely strengthened the exiles’ perception that they had been proper to flee Russia.
Whether or not the vote is truthful or not, exiles are adamant that it is without doubt one of the few avenues left to have a say.
“I plan to take part however that doesn’t imply that I belief the Russian election system,” stated Alex Maddalena, 44.
“I am positive that it is utterly untrustworthy.”
Like lots of the 1000’s of Russian exiles now residing in Serbia, he stays deeply engaged along with his homeland even when there’s little hope that the political state of affairs there’ll change anytime quickly.
Broke and residing in a threadbare condominium in Belgrade, life overseas has had its challenges.
However exile has given the 26-year-old political respiration area unimaginable again house.
“In Russia you can be arrested for something,” he stated.
“It is not a query, it is a sturdy truth,” he advised AFP.
With anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin disqualified, Konstantin stated he deliberate to forged a clean poll in protest.
“These elections are usually not democratic elections. They’re authoritarian elections,” he stated.
Tens of millions of Russians residing overseas are eligible to vote within the ballot, largely seen as a rubber stamp for Russian President Vladimir Putin to tighten his grip on energy.
Voting is being held in nations the place Moscow has diplomatic missions — together with states it considers “unfriendly”.
Round 280 polling stations can be open in some 140 territories, in line with the Central Election Fee’s web site.
Most can be open throughout the identical three-day interval as again in Russia — from March 15 to 17 — whereas some embassies will present the chance for early voting, in line with the TASS information company.
“It is my civil obligation,” stated Viktor, a 35-year-old Russian residing in Novi Unhappy, north of Belgrade. “I’ll vote for anyone however Putin.”
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of 1000’s of Russians have settled in Serbia, the place the neighborhood has largely flourished.
Some have opened eating places or began tech corporations and different companies, making a noticeable and buzzy impression on the Serbian capital.
Serbia has additionally provided room for political activists nonetheless angling to stay related in Russia.
In latest weeks Russian expats have organised protests in opposition to the battle in Ukraine, held memorial ceremonies following the demise of opposition chief Alexei Navalny, and petitioned for Nadezhdin’s candidacy.
“Right here we’ve got a possibility to remain on the road and say the issues we are saying to you as we speak,” Ksenia Kuznetsova, a 33-year-old Russian, advised AFP on the sidelines of an anti-war protest.
“All of my associates, all of my household [that] stayed in Russia, don’t have any voice. And I really feel an obligation to do it as an alternative of them,” she added.
Whereas she deliberate to vote, Kuznetsova is fearful about having to enter the Russian embassy to forged her poll.
Some additionally fear that Moscow is ramping up strain on the Russian diaspora the world over.
For Elena Koposova and her household of 4, that concern is all too actual. They confronted imminent deportation from Serbia after their residency allow was rejected with out clarification.
The rejection follows years of residing lawfully in Serbia after leaving Russia practically a decade in the past.
Koposova’s household had invested in a enterprise, despatched their kids to Serbian colleges, discovered the language and largely stayed out of politics.
“We’re very law-abiding individuals, very quiet in our life,” she advised AFP. “I’ve by no means been politically lively in Serbia, nor in Russia…”
With one exception, Koposova admitted. She signed an anti-war petition.
This might need been sufficient to be a magnet for Russian intelligence companies, she suspects, who pressured their Serbian allies to behave.
“They actually don’t need individuals exterior Russia [to] say something in opposition to battle ever, and this act in opposition to our household is sort of random,” she added.
They really feel an instance has been manufactured from them to scare others.
“Different individuals hear about it and they are going to be afraid to say something in any respect,” she stated.
The household appealed the choice and on Friday it appeared they could get a reprieve from Serbian authorities.
However the story has rattled the Russian neighborhood in Serbia, and got here after a Russian exile recognized for organising cultural occasions had his residence allow annulled, forcing him to go away.
Elsewhere, singer and comic Maxim Galkin stated he was denied entry into Indonesia for a live performance in Bali in January, whereas the anti-war Russian rock band Bi-2 was briefly detained by Thai authorities, sparking fears they might be deported to Russia.
But the crackdowns — together with Navalny’s demise in a Russian jail final month — has solely strengthened the exiles’ perception that they had been proper to flee Russia.
Whether or not the vote is truthful or not, exiles are adamant that it is without doubt one of the few avenues left to have a say.
“I plan to take part however that doesn’t imply that I belief the Russian election system,” stated Alex Maddalena, 44.
“I am positive that it is utterly untrustworthy.”
