Putin votes under an 'Activate Windows' watermark on a Dell monitor
The Kremlin clip undercuts Russia's technology-sovereignty campaign, though it does not prove the software was pirated or the computer violated Russian law.
By Ryan Merket · Published
Primary source: Tom's Hardware
Why it matters
The clip exposes the gap between Russia's technology-sovereignty policy and its continued reliance on US products, while showing how quickly an activation warning became an overstated piracy claim.

Russian President Vladimir Putin cast an online ballot on September 18th using a Windows desktop that appeared not to be activated, while a Dell logo remained plainly visible beneath the screen.…
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.