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- The Kremlin is reportedly launching a nationwide raffle ahead of next year's presidential election.
- The prizes will include housing certificates and 300 trips across Russia, according to Meduza.
- The project aims to support Putin amid Russia's challenges with Western sanctions, the report said.
The Kremlin plans to shore up support for Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of next year's election by launching a nationwide raffle, according to the independent Russian outlet Meduza.
The prizes up for grabs include 300 trips across Russia and 30 housing certificates, which are vouchers that can exchanged for real estate, Meduza reported. Each certificate is valued at five million rubles, or approximately $44,170 per house, the report added.
The raffle competition will be called "It's in Our Family," Meduza said, citing unnamed sources.
According to the sources, which include somebody close to the Kremlin, two high-ranking regional officials, and a senior member of the ruling United Russia party, the raffle will run as a "background project" to Russia's presidential race.
The presidential elections are scheduled for March next year, and although Putin has not yet officially declared if he is running for re-election, it is widely assumed that he will.
According to the Levada Center, an independent Russian polling organization, said Putin's approval ratings in Russia are high — consistently hovering around 80%.
However, public sentiment is influenced, in part, by a media environment that is sympathetic and controlled by the state. As CNN previously reported, there are also questions about how honestly the Russian public feel they can answer pollsters.
Freedom House, a US-based non-profit that monitors countries' political freedoms, characterizes Russian elections as being neither free nor fair, with the Kremlin being readily able to manipulate elections and suppress opposition.
The "It's in Our Family" organizing committee is headed by the Kremlin's deputy chief of staff, and the event is being run by the Kremlin's head of public projects, Meduza reported.
While the raffle is not formally linked to the election, an unnamed political strategist cited by Meduza suggested that its aim is to sway voters in favor of Putin.
"It's essentially an indirect campaign and propaganda to fill the information space in order to lead people to the right choice [of voting for Putin]," said the strategist, per Meduza.
Those competing in the raffle will be expected to complete tasks online, including performing "acts of kindness," chronicling their family life, cooking, and singing, according to Meduza.
"Such background projects help expand social optimism," the strategist told Meduza, especially at a time when Russia is grappling with Western sanctions and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Meduza reported that more than 400,000 people have already entered the raffle and that Russian news outlets and regional media have been instructed to promote the event.
According to the publication, local officials have been briefed that it is, indeed, "connected to the elections."