Russia’s Wartime Election Reinforces Kremlin Control

Russia has begun a three-day election for all 450 seats in the State Duma, with approximately 111 million people eligible to vote. Voting started in the country’s far eastern regions, including Kamchatka, Chukotka and Magadan, before expanding across the country. The Kremlin is closely monitoring turnout, which President Vladimir Putin has portrayed as evidence of national unity and public support for the war in Ukraine. The election is being held in a tightly controlled political environment. The ruling United Russia party is expected to retain its dominance, while Yabloko, the principal registered party opposing the war, has been excluded from the national party-list ballot. Some Yabloko candidates remain on individual constituency ballots, although many have also been barred from competing. These restrictions limit the scope of meaningful opposition in the election. Voting includes remote electronic participation in several Russian regions, along with polling in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as Crimea. Ukraine and Western governments reject the legitimacy of voting in those areas and consider it illegal. Russia has also established 333 polling stations in 152 countries, while early voting has taken place in remote communities and among military personnel. The election is occurring as the war increasingly affects everyday life inside Russia. Drone attacks, fuel shortages, economic pressure and renewed fears of mobilisation are contributing to public tension. Against this backdrop, the Kremlin’s emphasis on turnout and national unity gives the vote significance beyond the selection of legislators: it also serves as a demonstration of domestic stability and support for the government’s wartime policies.

Russia is holding its first parliamentary election since the full-scale war against Ukraine began in 2022. Although 450 seats in the State Duma are formally at stake, President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is expected to retain its comfortable majority. The election campaign has been closely tied to the war, with state messaging portraying voting as an expression of national unity and support for Russian soldiers. United Russia candidates include former President Dmitry Medvedev and a veteran of the siege of Mariupol. The war is also affecting voters’ daily lives. Ukrainian drone attacks, strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, fuel shortages, and internet restrictions have intensified public anxiety. Independent polling by Levada indicates that more than half of Russians support peace talks, while nearly 70 percent continue to support the actions of Russia’s armed forces in Ukraine. Some voters describe the political environment as increasingly militarized and repressive, while others are attempting to use tactical voting to weaken United Russia. Yabloko, the only major Russian party to openly oppose the war and call for an immediate ceasefire, was excluded from the party-list election after a legal complaint by the nationalist Rodina party. Critics argue that the exclusion prevented a potentially popular antiwar campaign and preserved the Kremlin’s control over the political narrative. Supporters of the government, however, claim that removing Yabloko strengthened Russian democracy by preventing allegedly anti-national forces from entering parliament. Some Yabloko candidates remain eligible to run in single-mandate constituencies. The article portrays an election in which opposition exists but is tightly managed. Environmental, economic, and local issues remain relevant, yet no major party can openly campaign against the war, leaving voters with limited avenues to express dissent.

Russia’s tightly controlled State Duma election is expected to preserve the dominance of President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, but the vote could still provide insight into public dissatisfaction with the war in Ukraine and its economic consequences. Observers are expected to focus on turnout and United Russia’s margin of victory rather than the overall result, which is widely regarded as predetermined. The party currently holds 310 of the Duma’s 450 seats and needs at least 300 to retain its supermajority and pass constitutional changes without support from other parties. The election comes as Russia’s economy faces increasing pressure. Economic growth has stalled, taxes have risen, and the Kremlin is running a substantial budget deficit despite higher revenues. Economist Sergei Guriev said Russians are increasingly experiencing the costs of the war, while approval for United Russia has fallen to a four-year low amid fuel shortages and Ukrainian drone attacks. Opposition has also been restricted: Yabloko, the only registered party openly opposed to the war, was barred from contesting the election. Analysts say a recent surge in oil prices, linked to conflict involving the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz, may provide Moscow with a short-term financial benefit but will not resolve its structural fiscal problems. The Kremlin faces high military recruitment payments and continuing pressure on its budget. The Duma elected this year will serve until 2031 and therefore encompass Russia’s 2030 presidential election. That gives the legislature potential importance if the country experiences political change. Observers are also watching for signs of a new military mobilization after the election, although the Kremlin denies having such plans. Finally, developments on the battlefield—particularly in Donetsk—could influence Putin’s willingness to negotiate with Ukraine. If Russian forces continue advancing, he may believe time favors Moscow; if the front stabilizes, pressure for serious peace talks could increase.

Russians began voting on 18 September in a tightly controlled, three-day election for the 450-seat State Duma, 11 regional governorships and regional legislatures in 39 federal subjects. The ballot includes only parties that support President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine: United Russia, the Communist Party, A Just Russia, the nationalist LDPR and New People. Yabloko, the country’s only remaining openly anti-war party operating inside Russia, was barred from participating after initially receiving permission to stand. The election is widely viewed as offering little genuine political competition. A European diplomat described it as “pretty much a sham,” while analyst Nikolai Petrov said the vote functions as a demonstration of citizens’ loyalty to the Kremlin. Independent observers have previously documented practices including pressure on state employees, transporting voters to polling stations and promoting online voting, which critics say is easier to monitor and control. Voting is also taking place in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, although Kyiv and Western governments do not recognise those elections as legitimate. The Kremlin has promoted nearly 200 war veterans standing as candidates as Russia’s “true elite,” though the article says many have little chance of winning and that the initiative is also intended to support military recruitment. Putin has urged citizens to vote to demonstrate support for Russian troops and resistance to foreign pressure. Fears of a new mobilisation are overshadowing the election. Although Putin and officials have repeatedly denied that another call-up is imminent, memories of the 300,000 reservists mobilised in 2022 remain strong. Ukrainian drone strikes, fuel shortages and economic losses have added to public anxiety. With Putin’s major opponents imprisoned, exiled or dead—including Alexei Navalny, who died in prison in 2024—Russia’s exiled opposition has urged voters to oppose United Russia, while Yabloko has called for a boycott. The article concludes that the Duma has become largely subordinate to the Kremlin, approving restrictive legislation at high speed while criticism of the war remains punishable under Russian law.

The article reports that Russia has begun State Duma elections in occupied areas of Ukraine, presenting the vote as an effort to demonstrate popular support for Moscow’s invasion and annexation claims. Ukraine and the international community do not recognize Russian sovereignty over Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, making the organization of Russian elections there especially controversial. The election is taking place without observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Pere Joan Pons, president of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said Russia’s refusal to invite an observation mission violated its international commitments and undermined democratic transparency. Critics cited in the article argue that the absence of monitoring reflects the Kremlin’s intention to prevent meaningful scrutiny. The report describes Russia’s wider political environment as highly repressive. Strict censorship laws criminalize criticism of the war and the armed forces, while opposition figures face imprisonment and political parties are barred from participating. Lev Shlosberg, a prominent war critic, received more than 11 years in a penal colony, and his Yabloko Party was excluded from the election. The nine participating parties are described as supportive of President Vladimir Putin. The article also says residents in occupied territories have been pressured to obtain Russian passports, allowing authorities to create voter lists. Election officials reportedly visit homes accompanied by Russian soldiers carrying ballot boxes. A Chatham House researcher characterized this process as intimidation and a violation of international law. Although Putin says the elections will demonstrate Russia’s stability, the article presents them as a managed political exercise conducted under fear, coercion and manipulation rather than a free democratic vote.

Russians began three days of voting on Friday in the country’s first parliamentary election held during wartime. The election is presented as a significant political moment, but the report emphasizes that it offers voters virtually no meaningful opposition to the Kremlin. As a result, the outcome is described as all but certain to reinforce the Kremlin’s political dominance. The France 24 report, presented by Douglas Herbert, examines how Russia’s electoral landscape has changed and argues that even the appearance, or “facade,” of political opposition has disappeared. The title and accompanying description frame the election not as a competitive contest between governing and opposition forces, but as a process taking place within an increasingly controlled political system. The three-day voting period is notable both because it occurs during wartime and because of the near absence of opposition forces. The report suggests that the election’s primary political consequence will be to formalize or reaffirm the Kremlin’s existing power rather than to produce an uncertain or genuinely competitive result. Although the available article text does not provide detailed information about individual candidates, parties, voting procedures, or public reactions, it clearly characterizes the election as one designed to secure the ruling establishment’s continued dominance. France 24’s coverage therefore focuses on the relationship between elections and political competition in contemporary Russia. Its central message is that the erosion of opposition has become so extensive that even the symbolic appearance of electoral pluralism is no longer present.

France 24 reports that Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight strikes as polling stations opened across Russia for parliamentary elections. The report links the military escalation to a major domestic political event, highlighting the tense environment in which Russian voters were preparing to cast ballots. Russia’s governing party, United Russia, is expected to retain its hold on power, according to the article. It also notes that the only political party to openly criticize the war in Ukraine was removed from the ballot, limiting the range of electoral opposition available to voters. The article presents the election as one in which the Kremlin’s dominant political force is strongly favored, while the removal of an anti-war party raises questions about the competitiveness and openness of the vote. The brief video report does not provide detailed information about the locations, scale, or consequences of the overnight strikes, nor does it identify specific casualties or damage. Instead, it focuses on the simultaneous occurrence of continued hostilities and the beginning of voting in Russia. The report’s central theme is the contrast between an active war involving Russia and Ukraine and a parliamentary election taking place under conditions of restricted political opposition. By emphasizing United Russia’s expected victory and the exclusion of the only party critical of the war, France 24 portrays the election as a process in which the Kremlin is positioned to preserve political control. The overall presentation is concise and factual, with an emphasis on the security situation and the political limitations surrounding the vote.

Russia has begun a three-day parliamentary election, with polling stations opening first in the country’s Far East. The vote is taking place in the fifth year of Moscow’s war against Ukraine and is the first parliamentary election held since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people, according to the article, and its consequences have increasingly affected Russian society this year. President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is widely expected to retain control of the State Duma. The Kremlin has also allowed only parties that support Putin and the government’s military campaign to register, leaving little doubt about the likely outcome. Russia has additionally organised voting in occupied parts of Ukraine, extending the election into territories seized during the war. Although the result appears predetermined, the election provides the Kremlin with an opportunity to measure public support for the war and assess how the conflict’s costs are being received domestically. The article presents the vote as a political exercise taking place under highly restricted conditions rather than as a genuinely competitive contest. United Russia is expected to maintain its dominant position alongside a small number of other groups aligned with Putin. The election therefore serves both to renew the formal composition of parliament and to help the Kremlin gauge public sentiment during a prolonged and increasingly consequential war.

France 24’s press review focuses first on Russia’s parliamentary elections, the country’s first such vote since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The report says the outcome is effectively predetermined because only parties loyal to President Vladimir Putin have been allowed to register candidates. Opposition figures have reportedly been disqualified for seemingly minor reasons, including using a song in a campaign video or posting images and references to the late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The Moscow Times presents these exclusions as evidence that regional officials are seeking to demonstrate loyalty to the Kremlin. Novaya Gazeta describes the election as a “listless affair,” while The Conversation argues that the formally multiparty contest provides only a “veneer of democracy” within Putin’s authoritarian system. The article also notes that public discussion of the Ukraine war is largely prohibited and that televised debates have sometimes proceeded without debaters. A survey cited by the Swiss newspaper Le Temps indicates that 57 percent of Russians consider the country’s political situation very tense. The review then turns to French football, where Zinedine Zidane is scheduled to announce his first squad as coach of the French national team after Didier Deschamps’s 14-year tenure. French newspapers anticipate both notable surprises and continuity, with L’Équipe predicting that Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise will remain in attack. Zidane is also portrayed as seeking to renew the team with a technical staff and approach influenced by his success at Real Madrid. Finally, the report covers the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, whose canoeing and rowing events will take place on Queensland’s Fitzroy River near Rockhampton, despite the presence of about 500 saltwater crocodiles. It concludes with National Geographic’s account of tigrillos discovered in Bolivia, described as the first newly identified feline species in a century and a finding that could reshape the cat family tree.