The presidential election results in Russia tell one story, but the map of voting by Russians abroad tells another, considerably less favorable to Vladimir Putin. Beyond Russia’s borders, protest voting against the Russian president dominated in most places, with consensus percentages failing to reach 50 percent in almost every country, except Greece, according to exit polls published by the independent organization Voteabroad.info. This same source also notes notably low figures in countries such as Poland and Serbia. [Citation: Voteabroad.info]
In Greece specifically, Putin would have captured 59 percent of the vote, the highest among the analyzed countries. By contrast, the leader did not win a majority in Italy, though he achieved strong results there, particularly in Rome (38 percent) and Genoa (48 percent). In Chisinau, Moldova; Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Ankara, Turkey; and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, cities where the Russian leader exceeded 30 percent of votes have also been recorded.
These patterns highlight how diasporas can shape perceived support for Moscow. [Citation: Voteabroad.info]
New Diasporas
Conversely, Putin reportedly lost decisively in Serbia, Montenegro, and Poland, where his support hovered around 5 percent to 3 percent, and in cities across Austria, Argentina, Armenia, the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Portugal, and Estonia, where support did not exceed 10 percent. In Spain, the president reached 5 percent in Barcelona and 11 percent in Madrid, again according to the same source. A notable trend also appears in Belgrade, where Vladislav Davankov, a 40-year-old candidate from the Party of the New People, would be the leading vote-getter. [Citation: Voteabroad.info]
Observers suggest that the vote data, which may differ slightly from the final tallies, reflect the demographic composition of the diasporas present in each country. “These data are not particularly dramatic. In Italy and Greece, the diaspora groups are the older ones. In Serbia, those who migrated after the war are represented, while the European Union has kept doors closed to them”, explained a Belgrade-based Russian community source. “Therefore, several EU countries have retained pro-Putin cohorts who arrived before the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.” [Citation: Belgrade Russian Community]
—
Life Difficult in Serbia
The Serbian case stands out. Thousands of Russians have settled in Serbia, attracted by Belgrade’s willingness to admit Russian citizens without a visa requirement. Yet activists have, for months, reported harassment and pressure from Serbian authorities, a situation seen by many as connected to the links between Belgrade and Moscow’s Kremlin. [Citation: Belgrade Russian Community]
One of the more recent individuals affected by this climate is Elena Koposova, a woman who in March 2023 signed a manifesto opposing the war in Ukraine and who on February 2 received a court order asking her to leave the country. The case underscores the precarious environment some Russian expatriates face in Serbia as political tensions and wartime rhetoric persist. [Citation: Belgrade Russian Community]