Russians voted on the final day of parliamentary elections, with the ruling United Russia party expected to secure another victory. The party, which backs President Vladimir Putin, has won every parliamentary election in Russia since 2003. The elections are the first since Moscow launched its Ukraine military campaign in 2022 and may offer clues about public opinion towards the conflict.
The anti-war Yabloko party was struck off the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court weeks before the vote, while other parties cleared to run back Putin and the Ukraine offensive. United Russia's main challengers, including the Communist Party and the ultra-nationalist LDPR, all support the war and Putin. Yabloko's candidates remain on the ballot in some single-mandate constituencies.
Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin accused Ukraine of launching an unprecedented attack on Russia, with over 1,600 drones shot down, 450 of which were heading towards the Russian capital. Sobyanin said the attack was planned to disrupt the elections but ultimately failed. The polls determine all 450 seats for Russia's lower house State Duma and were set to run until 1800 GMT on Sunday.
Campaigning has been limited, and some fear the post-election period in Russia will bring about a new military mobilisation, similar to the 2022 call-up of 300,000 reservists that triggered an exodus of draft-age men from Russia. Putin has denied such plans. The election comes at a time when Ukrainian drone strikes have caused increased disruption and fuel shortages inside Russia.
Voters expressed mixed views on the election, with one voter, Diana, 30, frustrated by the state of the economy, citing job losses and falling wages. Another voter, 71-year-old Tatiana, said she had voted for United Russia, describing it as the largest and most productive party. Putin's political opponents have mostly been driven into exile, while his main rival Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic prison in 2024.
Russia's exiled opposition has urged anti-Kremlin Russians not to boycott the elections but instead vote "against Putin's party". Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya called on anti-war Russians to collectively cast their ballots at noon on Sunday, a tactic that drew crowds in the 2024 presidential election. Yabloko disagreed, arguing that it was better not to vote.
Russian officials reported few anomalies, with the electronic voting system in Moscow hit by "powerful" cyberattacks. Voter turnout was around 40 percent as of 6:00 pm Moscow time on Saturday, according to Russia's Central Election Commission. The commission's chair, Ella Pamfilova, warned that saboteurs had severed communication lines in Russia's far east, in an apparent attempt to frustrate the voting.
Key points
- The ruling United Russia party is expected to secure another victory in the parliamentary elections.
- The elections are the first since Moscow launched its Ukraine military campaign in 2022.
- The anti-war Yabloko party was barred from running its federal list by Russia's Supreme Court.
