Russia is planning to put the the names of dead and missing soldiers on ballots backing Vladimir Putin to boost his numbers in the general election currently taking place, Ukraine claimed.
In a post on Telegram, Ukrainian defence intelligence (DIU) alleged that the Russian “‘election commissions’ will try to increase the number of Putin’s voters by attracting the so-called ‘dead souls’ to the ‘voting’.”
“They plan to add also those who recently died, went missing or were captured.”
The department made the claim in response to instructions from Russia’s electoral commission, which, it says, allows military personnel to cast their vote absentia without having to present identification documents.
Moscow is yet to comment on the claims.
READ MORE: Vladimir Putin breaks silence as angry Russians burn down ballot boxes
It comes as footage has emerged online showing Russian voters expressing their dissent against the Putin regime by tampering with voting papers at polling stations.
In one video, a woman was filmed pouring what appeared to be ink into one of the ballot boxes.
Another clip shows a woman wearing a black coat and scarf can be seen setting fire to a ballot box before stepping away and seemingly pulling her phone out to document the incident.
Putin slammed the reports as he accused Ukraine of waging a “terrorist” campaign against Russia in an effort to thwart the election.
He also accused Kyiv of intensifying military strikes on Russian territory to “intimidate” voters – a goal he claimed Ukraine will not achieve.
According to the TASS news agency, Putin said: “These attacks, pointless from the military point of view and criminal from the humanitarian point of view, as has been said, are geared to hinder presidential election in Russia.
“I am convinced that our people will respond to this by being more consolidated.
“Who do they want to intimidate? The Russian people? The Multiethnic people of Russia?”
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Russia began three days of voting Friday in a presidential election that is all but certain to extend Putin’s rule for six more years after he stifled dissent.
Voting is taking place through Sunday at polling stations across the vast country’s 11 time zones, in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine and online. Putin cast his ballot online, according to the Kremlin.
Russia’s presidential election commission has declined to invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, with the foreign ministry claiming the decision was made due to the organisation’s “politicized approach to assessing electoral situations.”
“We will no longer tolerate criticism of our democracy and claims that it is not the kind that it should be,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a recent statement.
“Our democracy is the best, and we will continue to build it.”
It comes as Moscow’s war in Ukraine enters its third year. Russia has the advantage on the battlefield, where it is making small, if slow, gains.
A Russian missile strike on the port city of Odesa killed at least 14 people on Friday, local officials said.
