Voting has begun in earnest in Russia's parliamentary election, dominated by President Vladimir Putin's supporters.
Far Eastern regions were the first to vote in a country spanning 11 time zones.
The last parliamentary elections in 2011 were followed by mass protests as evidence of ballot box fraud emerged.
For the first time, Russia is holding elections in Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in a move condemned internationally.
Voters will choose 450 MPs in the State Duma (lower house), for the next five years. The outgoing Duma had just a handful of MPs opposed to Mr Putin. |