9 criminal cases and 51 administrative cases were filed against independent candidates ahead of the elections to be held in Russia in September. This is reported by the project "Network freedoms".

“We counted 85 episodes of administrative or criminal prosecution of independent candidates, as well as those whom the authorities consider as potential opponents in the elections (53 of them in Moscow),” the report says.

It is noted that fines and arrests under Art. 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for last year's post with the symbols of "Smart Voting" or accusations of having links with opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The project itself is not banned, but after the structures of politician Alexei Navalny were recognized as extremist in the summer of 2021, the police began issuing fines, including for demonstrating the Smart Vote symbols.

Some deputies complained that they were arrested illegally, and the judges refused to take into account the evidence of innocence. On July 19, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow arrested Andrey Morev, the head of the Yakimanka municipal district, for 15 days in the case of the demonstration of extremist symbols (part 1 of article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

The reason for the arrest was the "Smart Voting" sticker on the rear window of the deputy's car. Morev said that unknown people pasted the sticker on his car. He provided the court with a video showing how two unknown people enter the parking lot, do something near the car, and then call the police, who eventually detained Morev. The judge ignored this video.

In early July, Marina Litvinovich was fined under an article on the demonstration of extremist symbols, who is also deprived of the right to participate in elections: “In my speech on September 20, 2021, I said aloud “Smart Voting” several times when I spoke at a meeting of Communist Party deputies with voters on Pushkinskaya Square the day after the election. Now for a year I will be deprived of the opportunity to be elected in any election.”

The 2022 elections will take place on a single voting day on 11 September. Governors will be elected in 15 regions, deputies of legislative assemblies will be elected in six regions. In addition, there will be elections to city councils, as well as councils of deputies in the municipal districts of Moscow.