Russia 2018: Kremlin Countdown

Human Rights Icon Kovalyov Joins Sobchak Campaign

Sergei Kovalyov, the 87-year-old Soviet-era human rights dissident and heir to the mantle of Andrei Sakharov, has agreed to become an official representative of Ksenia Sobchak's presidential campaign.

"There are many opposition politicians and many of them are honorable people," Kovalyov said during a livestream meeting with Sobchak filmed in his Moscow kitchen. "But they compete with one another. But you have a tendency to speak for civil society. That is very important."

Kovalyov said that he would write a letter to Yabloko candidate Grigory Yavlinsky to personally explain his decision to back Sobchak instead of him.

Kovalyov praised the journalist and socialite for her recent trip to Chechnya, where she highlighted the appalling human rights record in the region under Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

For her part, Sobchak thanked Kovalyov for his support and pledged to do her best to live up to his expectations.

Speaking to Russian state television cameras, Sobchak said she wants to see a memorial to slain opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in Russia "sooner than a Nemtsov Square appears in the United States." She said the failure to erect a memorial in Russia was "shameful."

Sobchak is gathering signatures on a petition to the Moscow city government calling for a Nemtsov memorial.

Putin's Cold And The Campaign

In his column for Republic.ru, opposition journalist Oleg Kashin plays off the Kremlin's announcement that Putin has a cold and is cancelling public appearances and speculates what the election would look like if the Kremlin leader decided he "was too lazy to campaign at all." Would it even matter?

"When Putin is healthy, some of his 'working meetings' are shown on television. And when Putin is ill, they also show 'working meetings.' There is no difference at all, and that makes the news of Putin's cold cold senseless," Kashin writes.

'Sanctions Poker' Ahead Of Election?

Iwona Wisniewska of the Warsaw-based Center for Eastern Studies argues that Kremlin is "obsessively worried" that Washington might introduce new sanctions before the presidential election "with the aim of destabilizing the domestic political situation."

At the same time, she says, if Washington fails to impose sanctions with a bite, it could "encourage Moscow to harden its stance and become more assertive."

Presidential Debates To Begin February 26, Likely Without Putin

Coming to Russian TV and Radio Stations Beginning February 26: The Presidential Debates.

Central Election Commission official Maya Grishina tells reporters that the first of what will be several broadcast debates will be held on February 26, with other dates to be added later.

It’s unclear which of the eight registered candidates will be participating, but it’s a sure bet that the one who will most definitely not is the one who is most likely to win the March 18 vote: Vladimir Putin.

Money For Votes?

Moscow blogger Denis Styazhkin says he came across an announcement on the VKontakte social-media site offering to pay Muscovites to serve as election monitors in the March 18 election.

But when he called, Styazhkin says, the young man who answered said: "It isn't so much monitoring. You simply have to come to the election and vote. We'll pay 1,500 rubles ($26) for that. You can vote for whomever you want. We aren't pushing a particular candidate. If you agree, send me photos of the first three pages of your passport and show up for our one-hour instruction."

Sobchak Lawyers File Complaint With Electoral Officials Over State TV Airing Stone Documentary On Putin

Lawyers for presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak have filed a complaint with the election commission over Channel One's decision to rebroadcast Oliver Stone's four-part series on Putin, arguing it amounts to illegal campaigning for the three-term incumbent, Ekho Moskvy reports.

Yavlinsky's campaign has filed its own complaint on the same topic.

Navalny Pushes Boycott, Organizes Vote Monitoring

In a blog post on February 13, opposition politician Aleksei Navalny again argued in favor of a boycott of the March 18 presidential election.

First, Navalny notes that none of the candidates is genuinely opposing Putin or campaigning actively to reduce his rating. "Name three campaign actions of any of the candidates that made an impression on you in recent weeks. Or if none made an impression, name some that you might have heard or read about. You won't remember anything because there hasn't been anything."

Navalny, who was barred from running, argues that turnout is the only aspect of the election that voters are in a position to influence. Putin is desperate to be able to declare that the "overwhelming majority of Russians have faith in elections and came out to vote."

The Kremlin is shooting for a turnout of 70 percent. In an effort to minimize falsification, Navalny is organizing a major monitoring mission. "We want you to stand together with us to catch these crooks red-handed," Navalny writes.

There's a 'Sick Putin' meme

Thermometer says, "Rybka, Vagner, Airplane"

Official slogan is "Strong President - Strong Russia!"

New slogan is "Sick President - Sick Russia!"

Schools, Kindergartens Holding National 'Draw Putin's Portrait' Competition

A Russia-wide contest to draw President Vladimir Putin is being held simultaneously with his reelection bid as a "private initiative" by something called the Resource Center of the Information Agency Infrastructure of Charity.

Under the competition, children aged 5 to 17 are invited to submit portraits of the president. The winning entries will be printed up in large format and presented to the presidential administration in May, on inauguration day (could be embarrassing if the winner is not Putin!).

Deadline for submissions is March 18, which is coincidentally election day.

Entry fee: 400 rubles ($7)

Russian Voting In Breakaway Georgian Regions Of Abkhazia, South Ossetia

Some news on Russian presidential election voting in the Moscow-backed breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Russia recognized as independent states following its brief 2008 war with Georgia.

Only a few other UN member states recognize the two regions as sovereign countries.