Crimea, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Vote in Russia's Parliamentary Election

Residents in Crimea and the Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions cast ballots on Friday in Russia's parliamentary election, the first time voters in these territories have taken part in a State Duma vote.

Polling stations across Crimea operated under what Russian state television described as unprecedented security measures, citing the persistent threat of air raids. Military personnel were monitoring drone activity over the peninsula in real time, allowing authorities to decide whether individual polling stations should be closed.

Mikhail Malyshev, chairperson of Crimea's election commission, said procedures were in place for any specific threat to a polling station, and that commission staff knew what steps to take.

In Sevastopol, Kremlin-appointed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev, who voted with his wife, said the enemy was seeking to destabilise the country from within through provocations, and that residents understood this better than anyone.

In Simferopol, Svetlana Nazarova, a local resident, said people were not afraid of provocations and stressed the importance of turning out to vote. In Sevastopol, two residents whose names were not given said they were not afraid, with one describing locals as resilient and urging others to fulfil their civic duty.

Voting also took place in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Tatyana Gusarova, chairperson of a precinct election commission in Kherson, said her team was not afraid of provocations and was fulfilling its duty to the state. Vladimir Saldo, the Kremlin-appointed head of the Kherson region, cast his ballot and described the vote as a democratic and free choice.

Russian authorities say the controlled parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, often referred to in Russia as the "new regions," have more than 3.5 million voters.

While voting across Russia began on Friday and runs until Sunday, balloting in the Ukrainian territories under Russian control and in some border areas has been underway since the end of last month. Officials cited security reasons for the extended period.

Voters are casting two separate ballots. Half of the Duma's 450 seats are filled by selecting political parties listed on the ballot, while the remainder are contested in single-seat constituencies where voters choose individual candidates. United Russia, the main Kremlin party, is expected to retain its grip on the State Duma alongside a few other parties.