Russians Vote in First Duma Elections Since Ukraine Offensive Began
Russia holds its first parliamentary elections since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with voting spread over three days and the outcome widely seen as predetermined.
Russians began casting ballots on Friday in elections for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in the country's first national vote since the Kremlin launched what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine in 2022.
Voting is spread across three days, running through Sunday, in an effort to lift turnout among the 111 million eligible voters. For the first time, the rolls include residents of Ukrainian territories taken by Russia since 2022.
Alongside the Duma contest, voters in 11 regions are electing governors and 39 regions are choosing members of regional legislatures.
Half of the Duma's 450 seats are filled through party lists, with the remainder decided in single-ballot races.
United Russia, the main party backing President Vladimir Putin, is expected to retain its dominant grip on the chamber, alongside a handful of other parties that routinely vote in line with the Kremlin. Authorities have tightened control over the process: the only registered party that criticised the fighting in Ukraine was removed from the ballot, and several pacifist politicians have been imprisoned or have left the country.
Analysts say the result is effectively predetermined and that the Kremlin views the vote as a means of mobilising public support for the Ukraine campaign and lending it legitimacy. Abbas Gallyamov, a political analyst, said the choices on offer were narrow and that the central question of war and peace had been pushed off the agenda. "Essentially, then, it comes down to choosing between the same thing in different packaging," he said, adding that elections are intended to legitimise authority.
Campaign broadcasts have reflected the limited field. United Russia's television advertisement featured its candidate, war correspondent Evgeny Poddubny, under the slogan "We being united means us being invincible." The Communists of Russia party promised to fight for workers' rights and socialism, with candidates invoking the Stalin and Brezhnev eras. The Rodina party's leader, Aleksey Zhuravlyov, declared in his party's spot that "the enemy must be destroyed."
Four and a half years of fighting have reshaped the country's economic and political climate. The public no longer treats the war as a distant event, and nerves have frayed as waves of drones have caused extensive damage to oil refineries and logistics facilities.
Despite efforts to keep the conflict out of political debate, some voters remain focused on it. Nikolai Andreyevich, a Moscow resident who gave only his patronymic because of security concerns, called resolving the situation with Ukraine "the most painful issue," saying other material, political, ideological and economic matters stem from it.
Dmitry Kirillin, a 26-year-old Moscow resident, said he wanted to see a different party in the new parliament — "not the one that controls absolutely everything." Another resident, Aleksander Vertukhin, said the platforms of United Russia and the communists covered everything, but suggested more attention should go to participants of the military operation, especially those returning from the front and adapting to normal life.