Reports about ballots spoiled with various liquids and attempts to ignite ballot boxes during the Russian presidential elections were traced to sources abroad, including Ukrainian territory and several European countries. The claim was issued by the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, and summarized by the national news agency TASS.
According to Pamfilova, the origin of the disruptive calls was identified as coming from call centers located outside Russia, with deliberate instructions that urged harm to the voting process. The commission emphasized that these communications were intended to sow confusion and undermine confidence in the electoral process.
Earlier statements from the commission indicated that there were approximately eight arson attempts at polling stations during the election period. The public briefings drew attention to a series of coordinated actions aimed at creating security risks at polling sites and pressuring voters and election workers.
In one concrete incident, a resident of Saint Petersburg named Alexandra Karasev was taken into custody and later sentenced to a short term of imprisonment for attempting to set a polling station on fire. In another case, a student near Yekaterinburg was detained on suspicion of preparing an arson attack at a voting center.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have been active in discussing punitive measures related to attempts to disrupt elections through arson or similar acts. A draft proposal exists that seeks to strengthen penalties for those who engage in or incite violence against electoral infrastructure, with the aim of deterring such offenses and ensuring the integrity of the voting process for all participants, including observers and voters. [citation: Central Election Commission of Russia]