Xinhua (Russia): Russian citizens living in the country's easternmost regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka, Russia's Far East, began casting ballots to vote for the next president at 8:00 a.m. local time on Sunday.

There are more than 97,000 domestic polling stations nationwide, and more than 400 overseas stations.

The candidates running for the election are incumbent President Vladimir Putin, who participates as an independent candidate, Vladimir Zhirinovsky from the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), and businessman Pavel Grudinin nominated by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). Other candidates include Grigory Yavlinsky from Yabloko party, leader of the Party of Growth Boris Titov, head of the Russian All-People Union Sergey Baburin, TV host Ksenia Sobchak and head of the Communists of Russia Maxim Suraikin.