A 109-year-old woman came to a polling station in Ingushetia, a small republic in Russia's North Caucasus, to cast her vote in the parliamentary elections on Sunday.
A member of the local election commission told RIA Novosti that people were taking active part in the polls despite the cold winter weather.
"Burukhan Kastoyeva, born in 1902, from the village of Nizhniye Achaluki, is the oldest voter at the moment," he said.
Varvara Oglobina from Kursk, Central Russia, celebrated her 100th birthday on election day. Members of the local election commission brought her both ballot papers and a bouquet of flowers.
"I've never missed elections in my life. Visiting a polling station was like a holiday to me," Oglobina said.
In all, Russia has more than 4,500 voters over 100 years of age.
Meanwhile, several elderly people died at polling stations in Russia. A 77-year-old man died in Nizhny Novgorod after casting his vote and three retirees died in Moscow.
The elderly and sick have the right to vote at home if they invite a member of the local election commission beforehand. However, retirees are usually the first ones to arrive at the polling stations when they open at 8.00 a.m.
Russians vote Sunday to elect the lower chamber of parliament in what is widely seen as a test of public trust in Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who is set to win presidential elections in March next year. His United Russia party is the favorite in the race, though it is expected to garner fewer votes than in the previous election in 2007.
