While the border is currently closed to vehicle traffic, approximately 3,000 people still cross the border on foot every day.

On Friday, "Aktuaalne kaamera" asked people who voted in Ivangorod about their experience. The show said there were few voters.

In previous years, a polling station was situated in the Russian consulate in Narva, but it was shuttered after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Traveling to Ivangorod on foot is not easy for older voters. The only other option is casting a vote 190 kilometers away in Tallinn.

"Of course, it would have been more comfortable in Narva. The border is full of people, but what can you do? We already had to go to the shops and the post office, and we also went to the polls," Sergei told AK.

Those asked did not want to say who they voted for.

"For Russia. I voted for Russia," Vladimir said.

"I hope things are moving in the right direction. The Ukrainian problem will find a quicker solution and maybe the situation in Estonia will also improve," Sergei said.

Russian citizens living in Estonia can vote in Ivangorod from Friday to Sunday. During this time, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) is carrying out extra checks on the border. This also affects travelers who have nothing to do with the Russian elections.

"It's going slowly. Automatic passport control is not working at the moment. A border official checks your passport. They ask where I'm going, where I live, where I came from," said Mart, a St. Petersburg resident. 

Six years ago, almost 13,000 people voted at the Russian consulate in Narva. Of those, 94 percent of them cast a ballot for Vladimir Putin.

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