Sunday marked the final day of the Russian election and saw widespread protests against President Vladimir Putin at polling sites in the country and at Russian embassies worldwide.

The big picture: Known as "Noon Against Putin," the late Alexei Navalny supported an initiative that urged voters to go to the polls and either spoil their ballot or vote for a non-Putin candidate at noon on Sunday, both inside and outside of Russia.

• Long lines began to grow around 12 pm local time Sunday at some Russian polling stations, per CNN.
• Protestors also gathered outside Russian embassies in cities such as Berlin, Milan, Brussels and Paris.
• Putin is set to win his fifth term, which would keep him in power until at least 2030.

Zoom in: Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, took part in the demonstration on Sunday in Berlin.

• Earlier this month, Navalnaya urged voters to "come to the polling station on the same day and at the same time, March 17 at 12:00. It's your choice what to do next — you can vote for any candidate except Putin."
• "You can ruin the ballot, you can write Navalny on it in bold letters, and even if you don't see the point in voting at all, you can just come and stand at the polling station and then turn around and go home," she said.
• "Putin will not be a legitimate president, neither for you and me, nor for the rest of the world," she added.

Catch up quick: Navalny, Russia's most formidable opposition leader, died suddenly in February while imprisoned in a Siberian penal colony.

• Following his death, Navalnaya took center stage and vowed to continue her husband's work by widely and publicly opposing Putin's authoritarian rule.
• Navalny's allies and family have said they suspect high-level Russian authorities were involved in his death.

Go deeper: State Department tightlipped over claims of Navalny prisoner swap deal