Russian Federation - March 2024

Russia held presidential elections from 15 to 17 March in which President Vladimir Putin secured a fifth term in office against no meaningful opposition. According to the Central Election Commission, Putin secured 87.3 per cent of the vote on 77.44 per cent turnout, up from 77.5 per cent on 67.5 per cent turnout in 2018. There were no women on the ballot and no credible election observers. Boris Nadezhdin, the sole presidential hopeful to oppose Russia’s war on Ukraine, was not permitted to run. Elections were also held in occupied Ukraine, which was condemned by Ukraine, United Nations officials, other world leaders and International IDEA. No women were among the candidates. 

Sources: Kommersant, Moscow Times, United Nations, International IDEA (1), International IDEA (2) 

Russian authorities have responded to the Crocus City Hall attack, where 145 people were killed in the worst terror attack in the country in a decade, with a wave of indiscriminate arrests, deportations, and harassment of Central Asian migrants. Police arrested and charged four Tajik nationals with carrying out the attack, and in an unusual move in Russia, released a video of police graphically torturing the men during interrogation on social media. Activists and Russian media have reported on hundreds of swift deportations and thousands of raids on work site and dormitories for Central Asian migrants throughout the country. Roughly four million Central Asian migrants live in Russia. Tajikistan’s state migration agency reported a “surge” of citizens returning to the country to escape persecution, and media reports of Central Asians in Russia hiding in their homes to escape potential violence, arrest or deportation.

Sources; Verstka Media, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, New York Times, Politico