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Pro-Russian officials – backed by armed men – are urging people in occupied Ukraine to vote.
BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaOccupied Ukraine encouraged to vote in Russian election by armed menPublished16 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsWar in UkraineImage source, Russian-controlled Donetsk election commissionImage caption, People in occupied Ukraine are being strongly encouraged to vote in Russia’s upcoming presidential elections – which Putin is expected to winBy Vitaly ShevchenkoBBC MonitoringMoscow has launched a wide-ranging campaign telling residents of occupied parts of Ukraine to vote in Russia’s presidential election.For the first time, the national vote is taking place over three days (15-17 March), but additional early voting has already begun in the occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk.One resident complained of pro-Russian collaborators with ballot boxes going from house to house looking for voters accompanied by armed soldiers.Vladimir Putin will certainly win another term of office, but a high turnout would help the Kremlin’s efforts to legitimise his continued rule.It would also be used to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is one of four candidates on the ballot, but none of the others poses a realistic challenge.All of his most outspoken critics have either been forced into exile, jailed, or have died.Coerced into votingVoting normally starts early in remote parts of Russia, but the procedure has been extended to the four partially occupied regions of Ukraine “for security reasons”.There are a variety of ways in which Ukrainians under occupation are being coerced into voting. Image source, Tavria TVImage caption, Authorities are setting up free concerts and food to entice voters to polling stations, a tactic used in the Soviet eraEven though occupation authorities have set up polling stations, voters are not required to visit them as those same authorities have dispatched people with ballot boxes to their homes.”Dear voters, we worry about your safety! You do not have to go anywhere to vote – we will come to your home with ballots and boxes!” the Russia-installed electoral commission in the Zaporizhzhia region said on social media.Ukrainians under occupation are also put under pressure through a pro-vote campaign called InformUIK, ostensibly designed to inform them about the procedure of voting, as well as all the candidates. It seeks to visit all remaining residents of Russian-occupied regions at home – and its representatives are often accompanied by armed men.They collect personal data to compile lists of voters, and sometimes film local residents during such visits. Russia’s electoral chief in the partly occupied Zaporizhzhia region acknowledged that locals were worried about the filming. Ukrainians have already come under considerable pressure to take Russian passports, but Ukrainian passports are being accepted as proof of ID to make voting even easier.Image source, Russian-controlled Kherson election commissionImage caption, In occupied Ukraine, people don’t have to go to vote – the ballot boxes find themResidents have been sent text messages informing them of the dates of the vote and tried-and-tested Soviet methods are also being deployed to attract them to polling stations, such as free concerts and food.’It is abnormal when citizens collaborate’Ukraine has dismissed the vote as an illegitimate sham, and those involved in organising it have been targeted by attacks. The day early voting started in occupied parts of the Kherson region, on 27 February, there were two explosions in Nova Kakhovka: one targeting the offices of the Kremlin’s United Russia party, and the other near a polling station.Then last week Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said a local woman helping the Russian administration hold the election had been “liquidated” in a car bombing on 6 March in the occupied town of Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhia region.Asked about who carried out the attack, the Ukrainian governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ivan Fedorov, told the BBC: “Somebody did it. Somebody who showed great resistance. Some heroes who do it on temporarily occupied territories. “Our resistance shows that it is abnormal when our citizens collaborate with Russians. Somebody did not understand. That’s why this somebody got killed.” Image source, Ukrainian intelligenceImage caption, Ukrainian military intelligence announced last week that a woman who had helped with the voting had been “liquidated” in a car bombingWhen asked to clarify if people behind the attack were linked to the Ukrainian state, Mr Fedorov added: “Yes, of course. There is great co-operation between our resistance inside the temporarily occupied territories and our secret services.”While Russia-installed officials and media in occupied parts of Ukraine are busy promoting the vote, they do not focus too much on drumming up support for any particular candidate – and they don’t need to. Vladimir Putin is the mastermind of these regions’ annexation by Russia, and nationally the vote is being presented as an endorsement. The official symbol of the 2024 presidential election is the V-sign associated with his “special military operation” in Ukraine. The official slogan adopted by Russia’s Central Electoral Commission is “Strong together – vote for Russia!” Both the V symbol and the slogan appear in posters dotted around occupied parts of Ukraine, including at polling stations. Kremlin media have already trumpeted early voting in Ukraine as a resounding success. ‘This isn’t democracy, it’s a comedy show'”It was a real holiday! With music, balloons and Russian flags!” the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid said of the early voting campaign in the Kherson region, which concluded on 3 March. “Tens of thousands of people!”Kremlin propaganda is using the election to paint a picture of unanimous support for Russia’s invasion and annexation of Ukraine.But these carefully choreographed images come at the expense of thousands of critics silenced, deported, jailed or killed. Many have left – especially young people – unwilling or unable to live under Russian occupation because of their views. Image source, Russian-controlled Kherson election commissionImage caption, The V symbol is everywhere in occupied Ukraine for this election – including polling stations and election leafletsUkraine’s Zaporizhzhia governor, Ivan Fedorov, says local residents of his partly occupied region are being intimidated into voting: “They go to every flat and every house and ask – would you like to vote? “Our citizens are very afraid. Of course if Russians with soldiers come to their flat and ask if they’d like to vote for Putin, everyone will say: OK, yes. Because everyone wants to save their life. But it does not mean that our citizens want to support Putin.”One resident of the Kherson region – the south-eastern part which is occupied by Russian forces – described to the BBC how voting was organised in his village.We are unable to disclose his name or location due to security concerns.”Pro-Russian locals visit households with ballot boxes, accompanied by armed military men. If they knock and no one opens, they move on to the next house. They don’t break into houses, but they do visit,” the local resident said. They added: “This is ridiculous. What kind of election is it when there are two locals – one holding a list of voters and the other a ballot box – and a military man with a machine gun? This isn’t democracy. It’s a comedy show.”Related TopicsWar in UkraineVladimir PutinUkraineMore on this story’We know what’s coming’: East Ukraine braces for Russian advancePublished6 days agoUkrainian teen who received call-up to Russian armyPublished10 November 2023’Denied medicine until they take a Russian passport’Published16 November 2023Top StoriesNo 10 says Tory donor’s alleged comments about Abbott were racistPublished3 hours agoBBC report into treatment of Gaza medics ‘very disturbing’ – CameronPublished6 hours agoGaza medics tell BBC that Israeli troops beat and humiliated themPublished19 hours agoFeaturesPM says donor was racist and ‘funeral home horror’The gangsters and rebels jostling over power in HaitiCan royals move on from Kate photo media storm?The Ukrainian sea drones hunting Russian warshipsHow the miners’ strike changed the role of womenMeet the pop star who brought some cheek to the Brit AwardsWhat is TikTok and could the US ban it?’We don’t feel the joy of Ramadan in Rafah’ Video’We don’t feel the joy of Ramadan in Rafah’Schoolboy recounts daring escape from Nigerian kidnap gangElsewhere on the BBCThe powerful emotional impact of Pink Floyd’s musicShine On You Crazy Diamond has helped people through their hardest timesAttributionSoundsFrom the largest ship to disasters on deck…A closer look at times when cruise ships have caused commotionAttributioniPlayer’I was mad for stuff but I didn’t realise I wasn’t happy’Stuart Mitchell’s search for happiness will make us all question the true cost of livingAttributionSoundsMisled with the promise of a home…Panorama investigates the mobile home swindleAttributioniPlayerMost Read1UK to pay failed asylum seekers to move to Rwanda2Navalny ally Leonid Volkov attacked in Lithuania3No 10 says Tory donor’s alleged comments were racist4Ashes and 35 bodies removed from funeral home5Ghislaine Maxwell appeals sex abuse conviction6Andrew Tate and brother can be extradited to UK7PM says donor was racist and ‘funeral home horror’8Can royals move on from Kate photo media storm?9Ukraine-based groups claim raids into Russia10Warning after cat falls into Japan chemical vat
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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaCould you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Could you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersCloseJury selection is under way in Donald Trump’s New York City hush-money trial, with hundreds of people selected as potential jurors.They must answer a questionnaire to determine, among other things, if they can be impartial about the former president.The BBC asked some of those questions to Manhattan residents.SubsectionUS & CanadaPublished50 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionExplore moreCould you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New Yorkers. Video, 00:02:16Could you be a fair juror for Trump? We asked New YorkersSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished50 minutes ago2:16Up Next. A view from inside court for Trump’s blockbuster trial. Video, 00:01:15A view from inside court for Trump’s blockbuster trialSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished19 hours agoUp Next1:15Press, police and protesters: Outside Trump courthouse. Video, 00:01:12Press, police and protesters: Outside Trump courthouseSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished1 day ago1:12Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 seconds. Video, 00:01:00Trump’s ‘perp walk’ moment explained in 60 secondsSubsectionUS & CanadaPublished31 March 20231:00Editor’s recommendationsCopenhagen stock exchange engulfed by huge fire. Video, 00:01:03Copenhagen stock exchange engulfed by huge fireSubsectionEuropePublished12 hours ago1:03Moment spire collapses at Copenhagen stock exchange. Video, 00:00:43Moment spire collapses at Copenhagen stock exchangeSubsectionEuropePublished11 hours ago0:43Dormice ladders built in the Forest of Dean. Video, 00:00:51Dormice ladders built in the Forest of DeanSubsectionGloucestershirePublished1 day ago0:51Liz Truss: The world was safer under Trump. Video, 00:00:35Liz Truss: The world was safer under TrumpSubsectionUK PoliticsPublished22 hours ago0:35Huge fires blaze along Miami highway. Video, 00:00:33Huge fires blaze along Miami highwaySubsectionUS & CanadaPublished12 hours ago0:33Watch: Georgia opposition leader punches MP during debate. Video, 00:00:34Watch: Georgia opposition leader punches MP during debateSubsectionEuropePublished21 hours ago0:34Wheelie bins fly and a caravan overturns in strong wind. Video, 00:00:24Wheelie bins fly and a caravan overturns in strong windSubsectionStoke & StaffordshirePublished1 day ago0:24Hannah Waddingham calls out demanding paparazzi. Video, 00:00:28Hannah Waddingham calls out demanding paparazziSubsectionEntertainment & ArtsPublished1 day ago0:28Endangered California condor chicks hatched in LA. Video, 00:01:28Endangered California condor chicks hatched in LASubsectionUS & CanadaPublished1 day ago1:28
[ad_1] Jury selection is under way in Donald Trump’s New York City hush-money trial, with hundreds of people selected as potential jurors. They must answer a questionnaire to determine, among…
BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityUKEnglandN. IrelandScotlandAlbaWalesCymruIsle of ManGuernseyJerseyLocal NewsFirst product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealedPublished11 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Meghan pictured at a polo match in Florida last weekBy Sean CoughlanRoyal correspondentA first glimpse of the new business venture from the Duchess of Sussex has been teased on social media, with pictures of a jar of strawberry jam.In a bid to preserve a sense of mystery, the jam from the new American Riviera Orchard brand seemed to be spread among friends and influencers.Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted a picture of the jam on Instagram.It was numbered “17 of 50”, suggesting the number of recipients of this first fruit of the new business.The arrival of Meghan’s new California-based lifestyle brand had been signalled on social media last month and this suggests that it will be selling food products.What do we know about Meghan’s new brand?Five things about Harry and Meghan’s brand revampWhy did Harry and Meghan leave the Royal Family?There seemed to be have been something of a re-launch for Meghan and husband Prince Harry’s brands and businesses this year, beginning with the overhaul of their regal-looking website under the sussex.com label.Their latest projects seem to be moving away from a previous focus on their time as working royals, such as their Netflix film Harry and Meghan and Prince Harry’s memoir Spare.The hint about the strawberry jam from Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand seems to fit with the couple’s latest Netflix plans.Meghan is going to launch a Netflix show which will “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining, and friendship”.Prince Harry will be involved in another Netflix venture showing the inside track on the world of polo. That’s the equestrian sport, not the mints.Delfina Blaquier, married to Prince Harry’s polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras, also posted a picture of the new jam, with hers labelled “10 of 50”.The social media trail for American Riviera Orchard evokes a sense of the couple’s home in California – and this soft launch for the jam show pictures of the jars in a sunny basket of lemons.It’s not known how much items from the new lifestyle brand will cost. Although there are already plenty of other royals getting into jams. Visitors to the gift shops in royal palaces can get a Buckingham Palace Strawberry Preserve for £3.95 or Windsor Castle Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade, also for £3.95.On both sides of the Atlantic they seem to be conserving their finances.Related TopicsUK Royal FamilyMeghan, Duchess of SussexMore on this storyWhat we know about Meghan’s regal lifestyle brandPublished16 MarchMeghan launches surprise new lifestyle brandPublished14 MarchTop StoriesMPs back smoking ban for those born after 2009Published8 minutes agoMuslim student loses school prayer ban challengePublished2 hours agoBowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelinePublished7 hours agoFeaturesJeremy Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifelineIranians on edge as leaders say ‘Tel Aviv is our battleground’A really, really big election with nearly a billion votersWhat is the smoking ban and how will it work?Martin Tyler: I nearly lost my voice foreverWho are the millions of Britons not working?How to register to vote for the local elections ahead of midnight deadlinePlaying Coachella after cancer emotional, says DJHow the Alec Baldwin fatal film set shooting unfoldedElsewhere on the BBCFrom weight loss to prolonging lifeIs intermittent fasting actually good for you? James Gallagher investigatesAttributionSoundsCould Nina shake up the unspoken rules of modern dating?Brand new comedy about love, friendship and being your own selfAttributioniPlayerWill the UK introduce tough anti-tobacco laws?Under new plans, anyone turning 15 from this year would be banned from buying cigarettesAttributionSoundsCan William Wisting find the truth?The Norwegian detective returns, tackling more grisly cold casesAttributioniPlayerMost Read1Nursery boss ‘killed baby she strapped to beanbag’2Birmingham Airport flights disrupted by incident3Muslim student loses school prayer ban challenge4First product of Meghan’s lifestyle brand revealed5MPs back smoking ban for those born after 20096Police told to shut down right-wing Brussels conference7Historic Copenhagen stock exchange goes up in flames8Bowen: Iran’s attack on Israel offers Netanyahu a lifeline9Marten a ‘lioness’ who ‘loved her cubs’, court told10Sons of McCartney and Lennon release joint single
[ad_1] The jars of strawberry jam, labelled America Riviera Orchard, have been shared with friends and influencers.