Around midday, there was a small queue of people at the entrance to the Embassy. The security guard only lets one person or family in, and they have to put their personal belongings, including their phones, in the lockers still outside before they can go in, vote, and go out. When one person is let out, another person is let in.
In fact, at around noon, a crowd of several hundred people was already lined up outside the doors of the Russian Embassy, waiting for their turn to cast their vote.
This simultaneous mass presence was probably due to the protest Noon Against Putin, organised on the initiative of the Russian opposition, starting at noon in Boris Nemtsov Square.
Lithuanian Russians gathered to protest at the same time at the Embassy. They claimed they would use their vote to show Putin they did not support him, and some said they would spoil the ballot paper.
The majority of younger Russians turned out to vote at midday, most of them holding placards with the words Against Putin on them.
A few people stood in the queue wearing the Lithuanian tricolour, while some people were dressed in Ukrainian symbols or the Ukrainian flag's colours.
One man played the US national anthem for the crowd. He said he was born in Sakartvel. His mother is Belarusian, so he lives in Belarus. When Russia attacked Sakartvel, the man applied for citizenship and was granted it.
„The anthem symbolises that there is only one superpower in the world – the USA. I believe that only with the support of the US can the whole free world defeat the dictators of Russia, Belarus and others,“ said the man, who spoke to journalists in Lithuanian.
Several police crews are on duty outside the Embassy to avoid incidents.
The Embassy is generally quiet. Police Commissioner General Renatas Požėla, who visited the Embassy, stressed that officers had recorded no incidents.
At 11:00, individuals were reluctant to comment on what they voted for
Most people who voted in the pseudo-election from the morning were elderly, but there were also many young people and families with children.
Most wanted to communicate with someone other than the journalists at the Embassy, and those who said something only spoke Russian.
However, those who agreed to share their thoughts often did not answer specifically what they voted for, although their statements made it clear. Older Russians living in Lithuania were more likely to say that they chose „stability“; in other words, they voted for Putin, while younger Russians were more likely to use the word „change“ to describe their choice, although they admitted that they did not expect such changes.
„I voted for change. I understand that the chances are slim, but this is my decision“, said a young man who arrived with his young child.
A senior citizen who has lived in Lithuania for more than 25 years said that she always votes but that her ballot paper does not bear Putin's name.
„I don't know if Putin is a thug, but I am not voting for him for the third time in a row,“ is how the woman described her choice.
Several Russians interviewed openly said they would vote for Putin but refused to comment on why, immediately walking away when they saw journalists.
„Only for stability“, two seniors said in Russian as they walked away. When asked if they thought of Russia as stable, they replied in the affirmative.
Before noon, an international protest, Noon Against Putin, was organised in Boris Nemtsov Square. The widow of Aleksey Navalny, the recently deceased Russian opposition leader who died in prison, called on Russians to protest against the Kremlin's master on Sunday by forming long queues at the polling stations.
Russian opposition activists living abroad, including Lithuania, have also responded to this call. Before noon, they started gathering outside the Russian Embassy to show that not all Russians support the Putin regime.
Some of the participants also protested against the violation of LGBTQ+ rights in Russia.
Russia has been holding elections since Friday, but observers do not doubt that incumbent President Putin will secure another six-year term, as no genuine opposition candidate has been allowed to stand.
The Vilnius municipality has issued a permit for the event for up to 100 people.
