Reporting
Presidential election in Russia: Vladimir Putin's impressionist campaign
This Saturday, February 17, Russia opened the last phase of the presidential campaign, a vote which will be held from March 15 to 17 and whose outcome does not raise any doubt. This is the phase where television can organize debates. Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has already announced, will not participate. “
He is too busy
,” his spokesperson Dimitri Peskov said a few days ago. His campaign is actually unfolding essentially for the moment in an impressionistic mode. Example with the exhibition entitled “Russia” which is held in greater Moscow. Its defined objective is to promote Russian heritage and “
achievements in the regions
”, including those annexed to Ukraine.
Entrance to the “Russia” exhibition, in greater Moscow, which aims to promote Russian heritage. © Anissa El Jabri / RFI
By: Anissa El Jabri Follow
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From our correspondent in Moscow,
An unmistakable scent of the Soviet Union: the giga-expo is held at VDNKh, in the north of Moscow. This immense park dotted with pavilions of Stalinist architecture was inaugurated in 1939 to promote and celebrate the grandeur and diversity of the USSR. Barely subliminal message: the “successes” presented here are those of the president candidate. The exhibition which was opened to the public on November 4 and runs until April 12 was also designed to support the presidential campaign. The Russian press had even considered that Vladimir Putin would declare himself a candidate for his succession.
Television regularly reports on the various events taking place there, such as visits from the authorities. More than 6 million Russians from all over the country have already gone there, according to an official count, and many of those coming to stay in the capital make it just as essential a stopover in their stay as the major museums.
From the start, we find a “gallery of achievements”, a journey nourished by statistics in the form of boosting national pride such as “
30,000 kilometers of roads laid or renovated every day”
,
“support for families without equal in the world »
or even
“91% of young people are proud of Russia”
…
Read alsoRussia: Vladimir Putin formalizes his candidacy for the presidential election of March 2024
The
“patriotic fiber”
The building where we meet the most people remains the one dedicated to the regions of Russia. “
I come from Tatarstan, and the first thing I did when I arrived in Moscow was to visit this exhibition
,” explains a retiree. “
I am 74 years old, I already know a lot about Russia, but I am curious to see it from a different point of view, to see what everyone produces, how we have progressed, how multi-ethnic Russia is united, what are its possibilities and prospects.
» But very quickly, this feeling also emerges: “
I have traveled in Russia and around the world, I went to Paris… But we have so much to offer. We have a huge country, and Europe is very small compared to it. I am a patriot of my country
.”
“
Yes, this exhibition touches my patriotic fiber
,” adds Anastasia, who came especially from Udmurtia. “
What we see here is a united country and people, regardless of age, religion or ethnic identity, we are in fact one big family.
» Behind her, one of the many sentences in capital letters attributed to Vladimir Putin which are scattered throughout the exhibition is displayed in large format. Anastasia makes the connection without hesitation, and affirms that she will vote for him next March.
Read alsoRussia: the only critic of the war running for president, Boris Nadejdine sees his candidacy rejected
The pavilion of the annexed Luhansk region within the “Russia” exhibition, which is held in greater Moscow. © Anissa El Jabri / RFI
A post office box to write to Russian soldiers
Around her, numerous guides, often busy accompanying school groups. They are also supervised by dedicated volunteers like Serguei, 36 years old, khaki t-shirt and athletic physique. “
Thanks to this exhibition, everyone can understand that there is no need to leave Russia to find opportunities and find fulfillment
,” he says. Before adding: “
Children don't understand everything yet, it's important to explain to them correctly who we are, not from the point of view of politics and wars of conquest, but from a cultural point of view.
»
Amidst the activities in local costume and drawings to color, walls dedicated to climbing and folklore demonstrations, politics and war are nevertheless very present. At the Belgorod region stand, first aid courses are offered. That of Crimea abundantly shows, via videos, images of the Kerch bridge from every angle, and offers paper and a post office box to write to Russian soldiers. Above the one dedicated to the Kherson region is displayed in large letters this sentence from Vladimir Putin: “
Russia's borders do not stop anywhere
”. The first time he said it, in 2016, the Russian head of state assured that it was “
a joke
”.
The mailbox for writing to Russian soldiers, within the “Russia” exhibition, in greater Moscow. © Anissa El Jabri / RFI
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