{
  "id": 8800697,
  "title": "In photos: Russians abroad hold peace rallies on the main day of voting in Russia’s State Duma elections as voters at home write ‘No war’ on ballots",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/in-photos-russians-abroad-hold-peace-rallies-on-the-main-day-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T00:16:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/09/21/in-photos-russians-abroad-hold-peace-rallies-on-the-main-day-of-voting-in-russia-s-state-duma-elections-as-voters-at-home-write-no-war-on-ballots"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russia’s State Duma elections took place on September 20, 2023, with opposition parties urging voters to cast their ballots at noon local time in protest of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. In Vilnius, Lithuania, a protest outside the Russian embassy featured posters of opposition representatives convicted in Russia. A line formed at a polling station inside the embassy, while in The Hague, Netherlands, a similar protest occurred outside the embassy. In Yerevan, Armenia, demonstrators gathered outside the Russian embassy, with some forming a queue outside. In London, a rally supported Ukraine outside the Russian embassy, while Berlin's protest saw a man holding a Ukrainian flag feed a spoiled ballot into a shredder styled as a ballot box. In Berlin, Russian politician Andrei Pivovarov addressed the crowd. Outside Meduza’s office in Moscow, there was a line of voters attempting to cast ballots, possibly due to a technical issue that prevented them from obtaining paper ballots.",
  "summary": "September 20 is the final day of voting in Russia’s State Duma elections. The Russian opposition had urged voters to cast their ballots that day at exactly noon local time to protest Russia’s war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year. Many voters in several countries turned out at that hour, though fewer participated than in the 2024 “Noon Against Putin” protest. Eyewitnesses in cities across…",
  "key_points": [
    "Russians abroad hold peace rallies on September 20, 2023",
    "Voters at home write 'No war' on ballots",
    "Protesters in Vilnius, The Hague, Yerevan, London, Berlin"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Russians abroad are using peaceful rallies to express dissent against the war in Ukraine, contrasting with voters at home who are quietly subverting the process with 'No war' messages on their ballots.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Russia's elections had few surprises - but how the Kremlin uses the results is far from clear",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/russias-elections-had-few-surprises-but-how-the-kremlin-uses-the",
        "published": "2026-09-21T00:05:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}