In the latest attempt to advance into the 1980s, Russians were ordered to attend Putin rallies, according to documents acquired by the Guardian.

Hundreds of students and state railway workers were ordered to attend demonstrations in Russia calling for Vladimir Putin to stand for an illegal third term as president, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

Regional government officials demanded that schools in Tver region and railway departments in Novosibirsk provided pupils and employees to cheer for the president at Soviet-style rallies in recent weeks.

Prosecutors are examining official telegrams laying out requirements for attendance at the rallies. The papers were uncovered by opposition politicians and appear to be a blatant breach of electoral law.

I would be shocked. Shocked, I tell ya!

It’s not clear if it was ordered by the Kremlin or the smaller governments, but:

A campaign to keep him in power has peaked in recent days with a series of demonstrations across the country. Mr Putin’s supporters gathered in Novosibirsk, Magadan, Tver, Volgograd, Voronezh and the capital of Chechnya, Grozny, where they hung a large banner reading, “A third term for President V V Putin strengthens Russia’s role as a great power!” Yet while Mr Putin enjoys genuine popular support, it seems the demonstrations were not entirely an expression of free will.

A telegram from Sergey Lemikhov, a railways boss in western Siberia, to department heads, union representatives and veteran committees, gives a detailed breakdown of how many workers from each section should attend the Novosibirsk rally on October 24, which drew about 30,000 people. “Organise participation in the demonstration by workers and veterans of collectives and members of their families in the following quantities,” it orders. Hundreds of employees are told to attend.

A similar order by education bosses in Tver region demands that 55 schools provide teachers and pupils to attend a rally. There, supporters waved flags reading “Putin, we trust you!” The Union of Right Forces, a liberal opposition party, said it had lodged a complaint with the central electoral committee about the order.