Russians in Armenia Vote as Anti-War Rally Held Outside Yerevan Embassy

Russians living in Armenia cast ballots on Sunday, the final day of Russia's first wartime parliamentary election, and joined a "Noon for a Peaceful Russia" anti-war demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Yerevan.

Thousands queued outside the embassy, some carrying anti-war and anti-Putin posters. Russia's exiled opposition, including Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, had urged anti-war Russians to vote at noon on Sunday.

Voter Mark Podberezin, a journalist, described the mood inside the embassy as "quite tense." He said embassy representatives admitted people selectively in groups of five, moving them between corridors, and checked passports against an electronic database — a step he said he had not seen in Russia — before allowing them to collect ballots.

"You hear all sorts of strange remarks from the election commission members. Some of them feel like outright intimidation, comments along the lines of 'you'll have to return to Russia sooner or later, keep that in mind,'" he said.

For many present, the act of voting was less about influencing the result than about solidarity. "I don't think my vote will have any real impact," said voter Lidiya Klimenko. "I simply came to the event. The most useful thing today was just to see other people who are also against the war, to be together in a shared cause and simply see one another."

Activist Daniil Chebykin said the gathering was about shaping public sentiment rather than swaying the outcome. "We can't influence the outcome of this match any more than we could a football match," he said. "But we can influence the mood in the stands. If everyone understands that these figures are completely fake, that is something we can influence."

Those at the rally held banners, including one reading "Election will be over but not the war," and posters reading "No war."

Authorities held the election over three days starting Friday and encouraged online balloting to boost turnout among Russia's 111 million eligible voters. The Kremlin wants the vote to showcase popular support for the war and legitimise its action, and has sought to avoid political risks by stamping out dissent.

Voters cast two separate ballots, filling half of the Duma's 450 seats by selecting political parties and the rest in single-seat constituencies, where voters choose individual candidates. Preliminary results are expected within hours of voting ending in the country's west.

The main Kremlin party, United Russia, is widely expected to retain its overwhelming control of the lower house, the State Duma. Several smaller parties of the "systemic opposition," which vote in sync with Vladimir Putin's views on all key issues, are also expected to maintain their presence.