Russian Election: Orchestrated Process Set to Secure Another Term for Putin

 Wandering through Borovsk, a town sixty miles (one hundred kilometers) from Moscow, I notice two things.

First of all, there are hardly any indications that the presidential election is coming up this weekend. Political fliers are conspicuously lacking, and there are scant election banners or billboards. The expected dullness of the event, which will unavoidably see Vladimir Putin win a fifth term in the Kremlin through a well planned procedure, is reflected in the absence of electoral excitement.

An other remarkable aspect of Borovsk is the town's thriving street art scene. Vladimir Ovchinnikov, a prolific street painter whose works are seen on walls and buildings all over the neighborhood, is mostly responsible for this urban artwork.

Ovchinnikov paints a lot of pleasant subjects, including local history or well-known people like football players, but an increasing amount of his work explores darker, more controversial subjects.

One of his pieces, "Pinnacle of Ambition," shows a person dressed in martial arts gear balancing atop a mass of human skulls to represent the possible fallout from unbridled ambition in positions of authority.

More controversially, he shows two meat grinders, one marked "1937" (a reference to Stalin's Great Terror) and the other "Special Military Operation" (a reference to Russia's involvement in Ukraine). By means of these artworks, Ovchinnikov hopes to arouse reflection on the history and present of Russia and throw light on hard realities.

But Ovchinnikov's audacious criticism frequently draws unwelcome attention from the authorities. Similar meat grinders were used in graffiti that resulted in fines for "discrediting" the Russian army, and his picture of missiles falling on a female dressed in Ukrainian quickly got covered over.

Notwithstanding the dangers, Ovchinnikov believes that his art is an essential instrument for promoting critical thinking and addressing society concerns, such as the Ukrainian crisis and the past persecutions of Russia.

In Borovsk, where the streets witness both political indifference and artistic expression, the contradiction mirrors the larger conflicts in Russian society. Though Putin's Russia is portrayed in a positive light by state-controlled media, Ovchinnikov's provocative murals provide a sharp contrast that encourages thought and opposition.

Opponents like Ovchinnikov remind us of the complexity and inconsistencies that lurk beyond the surface of the state-approved narrative as Russia gets ready for another election with a predetermined result.

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