Overview
- Voting for Russia’s 450-seat State Duma began on Friday in a three-day process during which officials reported large-scale drone attacks and day-one turnout of about 25.3%.
- The Supreme Court barred the liberal party Yabloko from the proportional ballot and many independent opposition candidates were disqualified, leaving voters with mostly Kremlin-approved choices.
- For the first time since 2014 voting is organized in Crimea and in the four Ukrainian regions Moscow annexed in 2022, a move that further normalizes those territories’ integration into Russian politics.
- President Vladimir Putin urged participation, framed the vote as a unity test against the West, and announced a program to bolster Russia’s air and space defences after officials said hundreds of drones were shot down during the opening day.
- The campaign has been low-key and state-driven, with United Russia widely expected to win; independent polling still shows high Putin approval even as economic strains, fuel shortages and pressure on candidates and observers shape everyday life.