"In the United States, previous elections were falsified through postal voting ... they bought ballots for $10, filled them out, and threw them into mailboxes without any supervision from observers, and that's it," Putin said, without providing evidence. Putin's opponents say the March election in Russia is no real contest as the president wields unchallenged power and his main rival, Alexei Navalny, is serving more than 30 years in jail on charges that Navalny says were trumped up. They say the use of electronic voting creates scope for authorities to manipulate the vote in Putin's favour without detection.

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, running for a new six-year term in an election that his opponents say is a parody of democracy, said on Tuesday that past U.S. elections had been rigged by postal voting.

“In the United States, previous elections were falsified through postal voting … they bought ballots for $10, filled them out, and threw them into mailboxes without any supervision from observers, and that’s it,” Putin said, without providing evidence.

    • gibmiser@lemmy.worldEnglish
      102·
      10 months ago

      Why would putin lie about such a thing? I’m going to blindly believe him since it confirms my existing beliefs.

        • Echo Dot@feddit.ukEnglish
          21·
          10 months ago

          I don’t know, technically killing your opponents isn’t really rigging the election.

          Rigging an election is something subtle, and Putin doesn’t really do subtle. They don’t even bother to make their murders look like accidents anymore.

    • PugJesus@kbin.social
      687·
      10 months ago

      MAGA and tankies. I’d say strange bedfellows, but honestly, they’re not that different beyond what shade of red they prefer to be painted.

      • Hyperreality@kbin.social
        21·
        10 months ago

        Cosplay communists.

        No one who’s an actual communist would support Yeltsin and the Oligarchs’ friend Putin.

        • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtfEnglish
          6·
          10 months ago

          You’re discounting the many actual communists that are also actual idiots.

          Idiots who truly believe in communism, but also think that the fascist Russian government and the equally repressive Chinese one are that.

          • rockSlayer@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            10 months ago

            Well, I gotta say that you’re the first person I’ve encountered that didn’t immediately feel shame for randomly bringing up a totally irrelevant political faction after that question. I suppose the next question is, what do you consider a tanky? Anyone left of democrats? Or do you have a more specific definition in mind?

            Edit: downvote me all you want, but this is a legitimate question. I’m a type of anarchist that advocates for mutual aid, industrial unionism, and a complete decentralization of power. I’ve been called a tanky because I support tenant unions.

            • krashmo@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              10 months ago

              Aren’t you tired of conversations like this? It doesn’t matter what label any of us use to describe our political views. We don’t have the power to implement them. Those that do don’t give a fuck what we think. We’re all just yelling at the perceived other while we watch things deteriorate.

    • jas0n@lemmy.worldEnglish
      27·
      10 months ago

      This 100%. The Russian propaganda to right wing talking heads pipeline is just so painfully obvious.