Russia votes in final day of parliamentary elections
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
Russians voted on Sunday in the third and final day of parliamentary elections expected to strengthen the Kremlin's grip on power. The ruling United Russia party, which backs President Vladimir Putin, is widely expected to win all 450 State Duma seats. The vote is the first since Moscow launched its Ukraine military campaign in 2022.
Key Facts
- Russia's Supreme Court struck the anti-war Yabloko party off the ballot weeks before the vote.
- Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences shot down more than 1,600 drones, 450 of which were heading towards the capital.
- Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny, called on anti-war Russians to cast their ballots at noon on Sunday.
- Yabloko said police arrested one of its election observers on Saturday, and a former regional chair was jailed for 11 years last month.
Election Context
The ruling United Russia party has won every parliamentary election in Russia since 2003. All other parties cleared to run backed Putin and the Ukraine offensive. The election will determine all 450 seats for Russia's lower house, the State Duma. Putin urged Russians to take part, casting the vote as a show of support for Moscow's troops and an answer to those who want to weaken Russia.
Opposition and Mobilisation Fears
Yabloko, a liberal party that called for an end to the fighting, was barred from running its federal list by Russia's Supreme Court, although its candidates remain on the ballot in some single-mandate constituencies. Some fear the post-election period will bring a new military mobilisation, similar to the 2022 call-up of 300,000 reservists that triggered an exodus of draft-age men. Putin has denied such plans. Russia's exiled opposition urged anti-Kremlin Russians not to boycott the elections but instead vote against Putin's party. Yabloko disagreed, arguing that it was better not to vote.
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