Russia's ruling United Russia party is on track to easily win a parliamentary election, partial official results showed on Sunday. The party, led by President Vladimir Putin, has cast the election as a test of support for the war in Ukraine. Initial results showed United Russia comfortably ahead with 57.5% of the vote. The party's victory is seen as a show of public backing for Putin's policies and the war in Ukraine.
The election was marred by Ukraine's massive drone attack on the Russian capital, Moscow. The attack, which occurred on Sunday, killed three people in the Moscow region and two more in the Russian-held part of Ukraine's Kherson region. Russian government officials accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt the State Duma vote, the first since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.
The drone strikes damaged a facility at Moscow's oil refinery and prompted Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to say that the attack was "unprecedented" and "clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections." Russia's Defence Ministry said Ukraine had also fired Flamingo cruise missiles and that it had downed nearly 2,000 Ukrainian drones targeting various regions and 8 cruise missiles in the last 24 hours.
Voting systems in Russia also faced waves of cyberattacks, according to election authorities. Despite the disruptions, the electoral process was mostly smooth, and turnout reached nearly 57% as of early evening Moscow time. Central Election Commission Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said that the attacks had not deterred voters, citing an "unprecedented level of public unity."
The Kremlin is likely to present the results as evidence of public backing for Putin's policies and the war in Ukraine. Most anti-war candidates were barred from the ballot, and those who did run from the liberal Yabloko party feared for their freedom after courts handed long jail terms to two senior party figures before the vote for comments about the conflict.
The Yabloko party's leader, Nikolai Rybakov, demonstrably spoiled his ballot paper, writing his party's name and the slogan "For peace." The Kremlin says national unity and some censorship are necessary during what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine. Kyiv has dismissed the Russian vote as a "pseudo election" due to the lack of genuine competition.
Despite the predictable outcome, the NEST think-tank in Berlin said the vote could still produce awkward moments for the Kremlin at a time of economic strain. The think-tank noted that the Communist party and the New People party could attract votes the authorities would prefer to go to United Russia, citing accumulated anxiety and frustration that may translate into votes for the systemic opposition parties.
Key points
- United Russia party expected to win parliamentary election with 57.5% of the vote
- Ukraine's drone attacks on Moscow aimed to disrupt the election
- Kremlin to present results as evidence of public backing for Putin's policies and the war in Ukraine
