At an electrical goods market in south-west Moscow, the guard outside the on-site polling station for stallholders had stopped admitting voters – though several hours remained before polls closed. ”It’s shut,” he said. ”The machine’s broken.”

A few metres away a group of men in coats and hats who appeared to have just voted en masse stood smoking. As they moved off together towards the car park, a black 4x4 pulled up from which four people carried a white case apparently containing ballot papers into the polling booth. Other voters were still being barred.