Russian officials published early results today, Sunday, showing President Vladimir Putin receiving nearly 88% of the votes in an election where the opposition was suppressed.

The voting, which carries little suspense, is taking place against the backdrop of the harshest crackdown on political opposition and freedom of expression in Russia since the Soviet era. Only three token candidates – none opposing his war in Ukraine – were allowed to run against him as he sought a fifth term.

The Russian Central Election Commission says Putin received 87.97 percent of the votes after counting 24.4 percent of the electoral districts.

Russians gathered outside polling stations on Sunday afternoon, the last day of the presidential election, apparently in response to an opposition call to protest against President Vladimir Putin in a vote that offered them no real alternatives.

Putin is preparing to extend his nearly quarter-century rule for another six years after an unrelenting crackdown on the opposition.

The elections were held amid attacks inside Russia by Ukrainian missiles and drones, which killed several people. Polling stations opened from Friday to Sunday in Russia in a heavily monitored environment where Putin faces competition only from three token challengers and any public criticism of him or his war in Ukraine is suppressed.

Alexei Navalny, one of Putin's fiercest political enemies, died in a prison in the Arctic last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile. Apart from the fact that voters effectively have no choice, independent election monitoring is extremely limited.

Navalny’s partners urged those dissatisfied with Putin or the war to protest by coming to the polls on Sunday afternoon – and lines outside several polling stations inside Russia and at its embassies around the world appeared swollen at that time.

Among those responding to the call was Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, who joined a long queue at the Russian embassy in Berlin where some in the crowd applauded and chanted her name.

She spent more than five hours in line and told reporters after voting that she wrote the name of her late husband on the ballot.

In response to a question about whether she had a message for Putin, Navalnaya said: “Please stop asking me or anyone else for messages to Mr. Putin. There can be no negotiations or anything with Mr. Putin because he is a killer, he is a gangster.”

Some Russians waiting to vote in Moscow and St. Petersburg told The Associated Press that they were participating in the protest, but it was not possible to confirm whether everyone pictured in the line was doing so.

Joining a line at a polling station at noon in Moscow, a woman who said her name was Yulia told The Associated Press she was voting for the first time.

“Even if my vote changes nothing, my conscience will be clear... for the future I want to see for our country.” She, like others, did not give her full name for security concerns.

Another voter in Moscow, who also identified himself only by his first name, Vadim, said he hoped for change but added “unfortunately, it’s unlikely.”

Independent Russian media published photos of spoiled ballots posted by voters, one had the phrase “killer and thief” written on it, and another said “waiting for you in The Hague,” referring to an arrest warrant issued against Putin on charges related to war crimes and his alleged responsibility for abducting children from Ukraine.

However, some people told The Associated Press that they were happy to vote for Putin.

Dmitry Sergienko, who voted in Moscow, said, “I am happy with everything and want everything to continue as it is now.”

As Russians went to the polls, the major Ukrainian drone attack across Russia on Sunday served as a reminder of the challenges facing the Kremlin.

The governor of the Belgorod region near Ukraine said three people were killed in the attacks while the Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones and missiles over the weekend.

Voting took place over three days at polling stations across the country’s 11 time zones, in illegally annexed areas of Ukraine, and online. While polling stations closed on Sunday evening in Russia, voting continued in some embassies around the world.

Despite tight controls, dozens of acts of sabotage at polling stations during the voting period were reported.

Several people were arrested, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg, after trying to set fires or detonate explosives at polling stations, while others were detained for throwing green disinfectants or ink into ballot boxes.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council headed by Putin, called for harsher penalties for those sabotaging polling stations, saying they should face treason charges.

Stanislav Andrushchuk, co-chairman of the independent election monitoring organization Golos, said pressure on voters by law enforcement reached unprecedented levels.

He said on social media that Russians were searched at polling stations, their ballots examined before voting, and police demanded to open a ballot box to remove a ballot paper.

Andrushchuk wrote on the messaging app Telegram: “It’s the first time in my life that I have seen such nonsense,” adding he started monitoring elections in Russia 20 years ago.

A video circulating on social media shows a masked armed man entering booths and harassing Russians as they vote.

Ivan Zhdanov, head of the Navalny Anti-Corruption Foundation, said the opposition’s call to protest was successful.

“This action showed that there is another Russia and that there are people standing against Putin.”

Huge lines also formed at noon outside Russian diplomatic missions in London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Belgrade, and other cities with large Russian communities, many of whom left Russia after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Demonstrators in Berlin displayed a picture of Putin bathing in blood with the Ukrainian flag on the side, alongside torn ballots in ballot boxes.

Russian state television and officials said the lines abroad indicated strong turnout. The Russian embassy in Germany posted a video of the line in Berlin on X, formerly Twitter, with the comment: “Together we are strong – vote for Russia!”

In Tallinn, where hundreds stood in line winding through the cobbled streets of the Estonian capital leading to the Russian embassy, 23-year-old Tatiana said she came to join the protest at noon.

“If we have a choice to protest, I think it is important to take any opportunity,” she said, giving only her first name citing personal security reasons.

Boris Nadeygdin, a liberal politician who tried to join the race on an anti-war platform but was barred from running by election officials, expressed hope that many Russians would vote against Putin.

After voting, he said, “I think the Russian people have today an opportunity to show their true stance on what is happening by voting not for Putin, but for some of the other candidates or in another way, which I did exactly.” Dolgoprudny, outside Moscow.

The group OVD-Info, which monitors political arrests, said 80 people were detained in 20 cities across Russia on Sunday.