Russia election: protesters attack polling stations in defiance of President Putin | BBC News

Russians have begun voting in a presidential election which Vladimir Putin seems certain to win.

Voters in Russia went to the polls across the country’s 11 time zones in an election that is expected to give Vladimir Putin’s another six years in the Kremlin.

The Russian leader has no significant opposition. The authorities have banned some candidates who voiced opposition to the war in Ukraine from standing. Other rivals are dead, in prison or in exile.

There have been some protests at polling stations. One woman was captured on CCTV pouring dye into a ballot box.

There was voting in areas of Ukraine under Russian control. Meanwhile Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian port of Odesa, with 20 people reported killed and more than 70 injured.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Steve Rosenberg in Moscow and Sarah Rainsford in Kyiv.

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