Posts urging support for Vladimir Putin's presidential candidacy were deleted by representatives of regional administrations after oppositionist Sergei Antonov from Udmurtia filed a complaint with the Central Electoral Commission in early January. Antonov shared this information with 7x7 on January 9.
The 'Committee-2024' union filed 40 complaints of electoral law violations with the Central Electoral Commission, primarily concerning posts advocating Putin's candidacy on VK groups managed by various state bodies and officials' personal pages. Sergei Antonov, a human rights activist from Udmurtia, noted that most of the flagged posts were removed within a week.
Antonov revealed that officials campaigned and collected signatures for Putin during work hours, utilizing various state bodies' web pages and pro-government media. Notably, Kostroma bailiffs publicly claimed to have signed for Putin, and a Kamchatka district administration released a video urging support for the president.
Governors in different regions also participated in Putin's electoral campaign. For instance, the Bryansk governor wished residents the right choice in his New Year speech, and the Khabarovsk governor and his family appeared in a video wearing T-shirts featuring Putin's portrait.
In late December, 'Golos' ('The Voice'), a movement advocating for voters' rights, called for an end to the illegal signature collection for Putin. Co-chair Stanislav Andreichuk discovered that in Omsk oblast, Putin's candidacy fell short of votes and that state employees were compelled to sign forcefully.
