In Russia, opposition figures are urging voters to participate in the legislative elections on Sunday, September 20—the final day of the voting period—either at exactly noon or as late as possible. They are advising voters to use paper ballots instead of electronic ones, aiming to make it more difficult to manipulate or falsify the election results. These elections are the first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and they involve the renewal of 450 members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament. While the Kremlin has reportedly suppressed dissenting voices, both within and outside Russia, opposition groups are trying to amplify their message and influence the outcome. The strategy behind the calls for late voting and the use of paper ballots is based on the idea that the later the vote occurs and the more traditional the method, the harder it will be for authorities to alter the results. This is especially significant in an environment where concerns about election integrity are high. Ioulia Navalnaïa, the wife of Alexeï Navalny—a prominent opposition leader who died in 2024—is currently in exile in Germany. She is urging Russian voters to support a list of candidates, emphasizing that this vote is primarily a protest against the ruling United Russia party, rather than an endorsement of any specific candidate. Her goal is to reduce the number of seats United Russia can secure. Daria Serenko, a public figure associated with the clandestine "Feminist Anti-War Resistance" movement, is also calling for mobilization. In a video posted on Instagram, she urges Russians to go to polling stations at exactly noon as a symbolic act of protest against the ongoing war in Ukraine. This "Midday against United Russia" initiative is being promoted across the Russian Federation and even among Russians living abroad. People outside Russia are being encouraged to gather at noon in front of Russian embassies and polling stations to show solidarity with those inside the country. The movement has already inspired plans for gatherings in major cities around the world. In Paris, for example, a demonstration is scheduled for noon on Sunday in front of the Russian embassy in the 16th arrondissement. These efforts reflect a broader attempt by opposition groups to use the election as a platform to express dissent, despite the challenges they face from the Russian government.