Kathrine Frich
Putin has long resisted wearing glasses.
Modern technology is meant to make daily routines effortless for everyone, regardless of age or status.
Yet when public cameras record every small gesture, even the simplest digital task can become an awkward ordeal under the spotlight.
Straining at the screen
The footage is striking. Russian leader Vladimir Putin appeared tense and bewildered while attempting to cast his vote online.
According to the Express, the 74 year old dictator stared intensely at a monitor and mumbled to himself as he struggled through the digital ballot.
At times, he leaned forward as if trying to decipher the words on display. Putin has long resisted wearing glasses in public, opting instead for extra large fonts on his prepared speeches.
Addressing his eyesight in previous remarks, Putin admitted to visiting a doctor for a routine checkup. “They gave me glasses,” he recalled. “I put them on for the first time. I got dizzy.”
A tightly scripted vote
The awkward voting clip coincided with nationwide parliamentary elections for the State Duma. The three day contest marks the country’s first parliamentary vote since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
International observers and human rights groups quickly dismissed the democratic legitimacy of the event. The Platform for Dialogue with Russian Democratic Forces called the polls “fake ‘elections’ that will produce a fake parliament.”
They added that the incoming State Duma “must not be recognised as democratically elected or as the legitimate representative of the Russian people.”
Reports of voter manipulation surfaced in several regions across the country. State Duma candidate Vyacheslav Dyukov claimed to have seen “bussed-in state employees” arriving at polling stations in Krasnoyarsk.
Shutting out opposition
Authorities also ensured no anti-war voices reached the ballot box. Russia’s Supreme Court barred Yabloko, the country’s only registered liberal anti-war party, from participating in the race.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Moscow court to protest the ban. Hundreds of young people chanted “Shame! Shame!” after the ruling was delivered.
The Kremlin remains entirely unbothered by outside criticism. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov brushed off concerns, stating, “We have our own political system, our own political process.”
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Sources: Express
