This is why Putin is afraid of the elections. Not because he needs to adhere to the result, but because it can be a catalyst for protests. And protests are a feedback loop where the more people are protesting, the more safe it is for more people to also protest. I hope the Russian people can get rid of their leaders and stop the war they don't want.
The 'election' is really to show everybody that Putin is roughly representing the will of the Russian people. As soon as that goes away, it becomes much easier not only to protest, but also to coupe aganinst Putin.
So far it has been a massive failure. 100k signatures for an anti war canidate and now Nawalny causing trouble. Even worse not nationalist Nawalny, but one that can not say anything stupid.
The vast majority of Russians respond to polls saying they support the war and Putin. The actual margin is much more thin. But unfortunately there are still many many Russians who support the war.
@JohnDClay
The two fundamental of Russian thinking.
1, Suffering is inescapable, and must be accepted.
2, A strongman leader is always best, even if he does terrible things to us.
These beliefs have been a constant throughout one thousand years of Russian history
Sure, not every Russian agrees with those beliefs, but the number of those who don't, are so small, as to be effectively zero.