MOSCOW — Lines at some polling stations in Russia grew suddenly at around 12 p.m. local time Sunday, the hour at which supporters of the deceased opposition leader Alexey Navalny called on people to protest the election.

A CNN team at a polling station in Moscow said the line grew rapidly over a five to ten minutes spell at around noon, and estimated 150 people had arrived.

The CNN team said that police were letting people in batches through the gates to pass through security, with metal detectors and bags being checked inside the building.

One 39-year old voter said he had come at noon “to see other people, and they have come too.”

A woman told the CNN team, “This is the first time in my life I have ever seen a queue for elections.” Asked why she had come at that hour, she simply replied: “You know why. I think everybody in this queue knows why.”

It’s unclear how many polling stations across the country saw an increase in people waiting at around noon.

One of those arriving at noon to cast a vote was Boris Nadezhdin, who had been the most prominent opposition candidate for president before being disqualified from running. He posted a video of himself voting at a polling station near Moscow.

Social media channels set up by supporters of Navalny showed video clips of lines in several places, including Moscow neighborhoods such as Nekrasovka and at Tservkaya Street and locations in St Petersburg.

The Navalny team also posted an image from the city of Novosibirsk with the caption: “Today is #noon. The protest has already taken place in the first cities of Siberia. We are looking forward to seeing you.”

Earlier this month, Navalny’s widow Yulia called for “an all-Russian protest action,” adding, “Alexey called for participation in this noon action against Putin and that’s why it’s so important to me.”

Speaking on YouTube, Navalnaya said that the protests “will take place not just in every city, but in every district of every city, millions of Russians can take part and tens of millions more will see it.”

Voting has seen some acts of civil disobedience, with Russia filing at least 15 criminal cases after people poured dye in ballot boxes, started fires or lobbed Molotov cocktails.

Dissent has effectively been outlawed in Russia since it launched its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.

Sunday marks the third and final day of voting in Russia’s Presidential election, with Russian President Vladimir Putin almost certain to win a fifth term in office.

Voting has been taking place across the country’s 11 time zones – from the far eastern regions near Alaska to the western exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Coast – and its 88 federal subjects, including parts of occupied Ukraine illegally annexed by Russia.

Putin’s reelection would extend his rule until at least 2030. Following constitutional changes in 2020, he would then be able to run again and potentially stay in power until 2036, which would see him secure his place as Russia’s longest-serving ruler since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. — CNN