Putin denounces cross-border attack in western Russia as ``interfering with voting''

In Russia, voting for the presidential election in which President Putin is seeking his fifth term in office began on the 15th.

Meanwhile, in western Russia, cross-border attacks believed to be from Ukraine continue, and President Putin denounced them as ``interfering with voting,'' and suggested retaliation against Ukraine.

There are four candidates running in Russia's presidential election, including President Putin, and voting will begin across Russia on the 15th and will be held for three days until the 17th.

Russian state television reported in the early hours of the 16th, Japan time, that President Putin had cast one vote in an electronic vote.

In this election, candidates such as former members of the House of Representatives who criticize the military invasion are not allowed, and it is assumed that President Putin, who is seeking a fifth term in total, will be re-elected.

Meanwhile, in areas such as Belgorod Oblast in western Russia, which borders Ukraine, cross-border attacks believed to be from the Ukrainian side continue, and Russia reports that there are also casualties.

Regarding the attack, an organization of Russian volunteer soldiers opposed to the Putin regime and fighting on the side of Ukraine announced that they had launched a cross-border attack.

President Putin convened a security meeting on the 15th and stated that the attack involved more than 2,500 soldiers, tanks, and other troops, saying, ``Many criminal demonstrations were carried out to disrupt voting and intimidate people in border areas.'' "They are trying to carry it out," he said, blaming Ukraine for the attack.

He then threatened to retaliate against Ukraine, saying, "These enemy attacks will not go unpunished."

President Putin has expressed a strong stance against cross-border attacks, hoping to win the election with an overwhelming majority of votes in order to show that he has gained the public's confidence in his policies, including the invasion of Ukraine. .

Acts of arson and defacing ballots at polling stations across the country - Is this a reaction to the election?

On the 15th, in Russia, local media reported a series of actions that appeared to be in opposition to the election, including people defacing ballots and setting fires to polling stations at polling stations across the country where voting for the presidential election began.

Among them, at a polling station in the capital Moscow, a woman reportedly set fire to the table where she was filling out her ballot, and surveillance camera footage shows the table catching fire after the woman approached it.

Also, at another polling station in Moscow, a woman can be seen pouring a liquid that appears to be green dye into a transparent ballot box where ballots were placed.

Such acts are reported to occur frequently in Russia's second city, St. Petersburg, and at polling stations in regional cities in Siberia, and Russia's Central Election Commission has announced that anyone who attempts to interfere with voting will be subject to up to five years of imprisonment. It has been announced and warned that a prison sentence will be imposed.