Russians began voting on Friday in a three-day parliamentary election that will determine all 450 seats in the State Duma (lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia), the first such election since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Polling stations opened first in Russia’s Far East, including Kamchatka and Chukotka, with voting continuing across the country until Sunday. President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is widely expected to retain its dominant position in the lower house.The election is taking place as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, with Russian authorities facing growing economic pressure and Ukrainian drone attacks reaching deeper into Russian territory. The Kremlin has also maintained tight restrictions on anti-war political activity.Putin urged Russians to vote, portraying participation as a demonstration of national unity and support for Russian troops.“Your choice and your will will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our soldiers, that we are a united people bound together by shared values, historical memory and love for our homeland, and that no one will succeed in dividing or intimidating us, or in undermining our statehood and our socio-political system,” Putin said in a televised address.United Russia is competing against parties including the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia and New People. The anti-war Yabloko party, which had been cleared to contest the election, was later removed from the ballot by Russia’s Supreme Court.The election also includes voting in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine. Ukraine has rejected the voting there as illegal, saying results from such polls would have no legal validity.The Kremlin has presented the election as an opportunity to demonstrate public support and political unity during the war, while analysts cited by Reuters say the vote will also provide a measure of public sentiment as the conflict continues to affect Russia’s economy and population.
