p class=”EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC “>Polls closed Sunday night in Russia’s first wartime parliamentary election, which is virtually devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin’s policies and all but certain to cement the Kremlin’s dominance. Ukrainian forces fired over 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, including hundreds aimed at Moscow. According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, turnout at the close of polls was 56.66%.^
The vote began Friday for 111 million eligible voters, including residents of four Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by Russia after the war began, as well as Crimea, annexed in 2014. Kyiv authorities condemned the voting in Russian-held areas as illegal and urged foreign governments not to recognize the results. The European Union called it a “blatant violation of international law.”^
As polls closed in Russia and Russian-held areas of Ukraine, voting continued at embassies and consulates in western time zones, including the United States.^
The Kremlin aims to use the election to showcase popular support for the war and legitimize its actions, seeking to avoid political risks by suppressing dissent. A massive state media campaign and strict election control in the absence of genuine opposition virtually guarantee the Kremlin’s continued dominance amid rising economic pressures and increasing Ukrainian drone strikes deep within Russia.^
Voters cast two ballots, filling half of the State Duma’s 450 seats via party lists, while the remaining seats are contested in single-member constituencies. Preliminary results are expected within hours of voting ending in western regions.^
The Kremlin’s main party, United Russia, is widely expected to retain overwhelming control of the lower house, alongside other systemic opposition parties aligned with Putin. The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered entity publicly criticizing the war, was removed from the ballot last month. Anti-war politicians were arrested or fled abroad. Yabloko and the Communist Party reported obstacles at polling stations, which could not be independently verified.^
Russia did not invite OSCE observers, accusing the group of “double standards.” Yabloko reported an observer being arrested in St. Petersburg. In Armenia, some observers faced intimidation at the Russian Embassy in Yerevan after being told, “You’ll have to return to Russia sooner or later, keep that in mind.”^
Parties reported violations including unsealed ballot boxes and unsecured polling stations. At one station in Russian-held Donetsk, armed soldiers watched voters place ballots in a box. Election officials blamed cyberattacks on an unnamed systemic party for electronic voting disruptions in Moscow, while independent media reported voters were denied paper ballots and forced to use terminals. Leonid Volkov suggested the paper ballot system failure was deliberate to push voters toward electronic voting.^
Lines formed at polling stations as voters refused electronic voting. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov cast a ballot in St. Petersburg marked with “For freedom,” “For peace,” and “Yabloko.” Exiled opposition figures, including Navalny’s widow Yulia Navalnaya, called on anti-war Russians to vote at noon on Sunday. Thousands in Armenia queued at the Russian Embassy in Yerevan, joining anti-war demonstrations with signs opposing Putin.^
In Germany, voters cast ballots at the Russian Embassy in Berlin, where dissident Andrei Pivovarov addressed protesters outside. Observers reported intimidation, with some voters, like Lidiya Klimenko, participating to connect with fellow anti-war citizens rather than expecting electoral impact.^
The election coincided with major Ukrainian drone attacks, with Russia’s Defense Ministry reporting it shot down 1,110 drones across its territory and annexed regions. Two people were killed and 20 wounded near Moscow. The vote followed weeks of attacks on oil refineries and e-commerce warehouses, deepening fuel shortages and economic hardship for Russian citizens.^
