Russians have begun casting ballots in the country’s first parliamentary election since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The three-day vote for all 450 seats in the State Duma is widely expected to reinforce President Vladimir Putin’s complete control over the political landscape with no viable opposition left on the ballot.
Kremlin seeks wartime mandate
The Kremlin is using the vote to demonstrate widespread public backing for its ongoing military campaign. Addressing the nation, Putin urged citizens to show unity and support for Russian troops on the front lines.
The ruling party, United Russia, is virtually guaranteed to retain its massive majority in the lower house. The remaining legal parties contesting seats consist of “systemic opposition” groups that consistently vote alongside government policies.
Opposition silenced ahead of ballot
Genuine anti-war opposition has been systematically removed from the election. Russia’s Supreme Court barred the liberal Yabloko party – the only registered political group openly opposing the war – from fielding a full national party list.
Meanwhile, prominent anti-war politicians and dissidents remain jailed, silenced or forced into exile abroad.
Contested voting in occupied territories
For the first time, Moscow is conducting parliamentary voting in parts of four Ukrainian regions it claimed to annex after the invasion, as well as in occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian authorities and the European Union have condemned the voting in these occupied areas as illegal urging the international community to reject the legitimacy of the results.
