Russians vandalize voting booths, boxes on presidential election day

Shafaq News/ At least three people in regions across Russia reportedly carried out arson attacks at polling places on Friday as the first day of voting in the March 15-17 presidential election got underway.

In Moscow, an elderly woman was detained for setting fire to a voting booth, according to the independent news outlet Sota. A video published on social media showed police officers detaining the woman as she appeared to film the blaze on her phone.

Moscow's Central Investigative Committee later said it had launched a criminal investigation into the arson.

Election officials told the state-run news agency RIA Novosti that no ballots had been damaged in the attack and that poll workers continued their work after the incident.

Also today, Moscow police detained a woman who poured a green antiseptic dye known as "zelyonka" into a ballot box. Investigators launched a probe of whether she "obstructed the implementation of voters' rights."

Similar incidents, when individuals poured "zelyonka" or similar substances into ballot boxes were reported in the city of Borisoglebsk in the Voronezh region that borders Ukraine, the southwestern city of Rostov-on-Don, and the North Caucasus region of Karachai-Cherkessia.

The Central Election Commission urged police to increase security at polling stations, which are open from March 15-17.