Voting has commenced across Russia and its occupied Ukrainian territories for the 450-seat State Duma and regional assemblies, marking the country’s first parliamentary elections since the 2022 invasion. Spread over three days to boost turnout, the heavily managed vote is expected to maintain the overwhelming dominance of President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party. The Kremlin hopes the outcome will highlight public backing for its “special military operation” and lend “legitimacy” to its ongoing actions. True political competition, however, has been thoroughly dismantled ahead of the elections. Anti-war politicians have been jailed or forced to flee, and the openly critical Yabloko party was removed from the main electoral roll by the Supreme Court, leaving only smaller “opposition” groups that reliably support the government’s agenda.
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