Russians begin voting in regional elections

MOSCOW (AP) — Russians have started voting in the country’s first election since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February. Voters on Friday began casting ballots to elect more than 31,000 officials, legislators and local council members across the country’s 82 regions. Many opposition politicians have been barred from running in the three-day vote that takes place both at polling stations and online. While some prominent opposition politicians have been jailed or barred from running, over a 100 independent candidates are running for municipal councils in Moscow. Municipal councils, the lowest level of local governance with little real powers, have become important battlegrounds for Russian opposition politicians who have been cut off from competing in national races.