Local came to visit eco-activists Sergei (centre), Boris (right) and Tseren (offscreen), who dig up springs in hopes of restoring water flow to a dried up pond nearby. He reminisce that the pond was a popular place, locals and visitors from Elista, the capital city of Kalmykia, enjoyed relaxing and swimming in it. They are a part of a larger volunteer group, which deals with ecological and political issues of the republic. Following anti-government protests of 2019, when the state had faced a backslash after Dmitry Trapeznikov, a former separatists Donetsk People's Republic official, was appointed Elista's city manager, the activists started to prepare for the upcoming elections. They trained ~500 volunteers to observe elections to prevent the state's attempts at falsifying and ballot stuffing. They consider the 2021 elections a success, because United Russia received an all-time low 39.5% of votes. After the start of the war, however, it became even harder to voice an opinion.