Overview
- Voting, which began on Friday, Sept. 18, runs over three days and uses electronic ballots and staggered hours to boost turnout among about 111 million eligible voters.
- For the first time ballots are being cast in Crimea and four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow, a move Kyiv and Western governments have denounced and said they will not recognise.
- The Supreme Court removed the liberal Yabloko party from the nationwide party list and other anti‑war voices have been jailed or sidelined, leaving a tightly controlled field with United Russia expected to keep its majority.
- Roughly 200 veterans and pro‑war figures are standing as candidates, a Kremlin strategy that could be used to reward fighters, signal elite status for veterans, and encourage recruitment.
- Critics point to past disputed votes, the opacity of e‑voting and multi‑day balloting, and the absence of OSCE observers as reasons the result will likely be treated as lacking international legitimacy.