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Added on the 05/02/2021 09:51:11 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
EU top diplomat Josep Borrell says foreign ministers meeting with the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny will send a "message of support" to the Kremlin's opponents following Navalny's death in jail. SOUNDBITE
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says the bloc holds Russia "responsible" for the health of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, as fears grow over his condition. SOUNDBITE
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell says that Russian President Vladimir Putin's electoral victory was "based on repression and intimidation". Speaking as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Borrell says "this has not been a free and fair election," but a vote held in a "highly restrictive environment." SOUNDBITE
Hundreds of people gather to pay their respects and lay flowers at the grave of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on the final day of a presidential election that is guaranteed to cement Vladimir Putin's hardline rule. Before his death in an Arctic prison last month, Navalny urged Russians to protest on March 17. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, has reiterated his call and said protesters should show up in large numbers at the same time to overwhelm polling stations. IMAGES
People respond to a call from opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya to turn up at polling stations at midday Moscow time (0900 GMT) in a form of protest that attempts to overwhelm them. Before his death in an Arctic prison last month, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who galvanised mass anti-Putin rallies, had urged Russians to protest on March 17. The polling station is where opposition leader Alexei Navalny was registered. IMAGES