Last day of voting in Russia's presidential election: government is wary of anti-establishment protests. While President Putin's election for a fifth term is certain, anti-regime groups are calling for a protest at noon on the 17th local time.
Russia refuses to accept 706 people as election observers. Japan has previously dispatched observers to elections held in Russia, and during the last presidential election six years ago, it dispatched academic experts specializing in Russian politics and staff from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.