Overview
- Authorities expect a single voting day on 20 September 2026, with the election date to be formally set by a presidential decree issued 90 to 110 days in advance.
- The Central Election Commission’s current mandate ends in March 2026, and reports indicate up to seven new members could join, with consideration of candidates who served in the special military operation.
- For the first time, residents of the annexed territories will elect Duma deputies under a new single‑mandate map allocating three seats to Donetsk, two to Luhansk, and one each to Kherson and Zaporizhia.
- Parallel to the Duma race, regional ballots are planned for 39 legislative assemblies, with seven governors to be chosen by direct vote and three selected by regional parliaments.
- The Defence Ministry alleges Ukrainian drone strikes over the New Year period killed 24 people and says it handed technical data to US military attachés, a claim denied by Ukraine and treated skeptically by some foreign outlets.