Russia holds first parliamentary election since full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Russians began voting in the country's first parliamentary election since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with President Vladimir Putin portraying the vote as a measure of public support for Russia's war.
The three-day election to the 450-seat State Duma runs from Sept. 18 through Sept. 20. Russia is also holding the vote in Ukrainian territories it occupies, which Kyiv has condemned as illegal.
Most anti-war candidates were excluded from the ballot ahead of the election. The ruling United Russia party, which dominates the State Duma, is seeking to retain its parliamentary majority. Reuters described Russia's political system as tightly controlled.
Half of the State Duma's 450 lawmakers are elected through party lists and the other half in single-member constituencies. Ten parties are taking part in the election.
Preliminary results are expected Sunday evening, with more complete results due on Monday.
Voting in occupied Ukraine
Russia is also holding the election in Ukrainian territories it occupies, where early voting began on Aug. 29.
Ukraine has condemned the voting there as illegal and said it would not recognize either the election or its results in occupied Ukrainian territory.
"No 'voting' organized by Russia at gunpoint changes the internationally recognized status of these territories," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said. "Temporary occupation does not create sovereign rights for the occupying power."
Ukraine's SBU security service has warned residents of occupied territories against participating in organizing the vote, saying involvement in conducting illegal elections can constitute a criminal offense under Ukrainian law.
The partisan movement Atesh has claimed that Russian military units in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast were using the names of dead soldiers to falsify election results. The claim could not be independently verified.
The vote has also been disrupted in some areas by Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia's Central Election Commission said one polling station in Krasnodar Krai had to be relocated after falling drone debris shattered windows.
Fourteen polling stations in the Russian-occupied part of Luhansk Oblast lost electricity, while an election worker was killed in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to The Moscow Times.
Most anti-war candidates excluded
Most anti-war candidates were excluded from the ballot before voting began, Reuters reported. Russia's Supreme Court ruled in August that the liberal Yabloko party, which calls for a ceasefire in Ukraine, had violated electoral rules - an allegation the party denied.
Some Yabloko candidates are still running in individual constituencies, which account for half of the State Duma's seats.
Other opposition figures have also faced legal action over their criticism of the war or references to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
Boris Nadezhdin, who sought to run against Putin in Russia's 2024 presidential election, ended his parliamentary campaign after being fined over the display of a photograph of Navalny during a 2023 broadcast.
Putin casts vote as show of wartime unity
Ahead of the election, Putin urged Russians to vote and explicitly linked the election to the war against Ukraine.
"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," Putin said in a televised address.
Russian state television has also framed the election around the war. One advertisement urging Russians to vote showed military commanders from different periods of Russian history before cutting to soldiers holding a Russian flag after a battle in Ukraine.
"Their voice is the voice of victory. Your vote is the strength of Russia!" the advertisement said.
The election is taking place as the war increasingly affects daily life inside Russia. Reuters reported that Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries have caused fuel shortages in some areas, while businesses face high interest rates, labor shortages, sanctions and repeated drone attacks.
Initial partial results are expected from 6 p.m. GMT on Sept. 20, with near-complete results expected the following day.