Empty podiums, prizes for e-voting, no opposition: Russians head to the polls amid intensifying war in Ukraine

By Zahra Ullah, CNN Moscow (CNN) — “The candidates have not shown up at our studio, so I’ll say goodbye for now,” Elizaveta Dorokhina, a Russia-1 state TV anchor, told viewers, with three empty podiums visible either side of her in the studio. The broadcast switched to a commercial break. All six registered candidates in