The election, which will fill all 450 seats of the State Duma, started on Friday and will run through Sunday, marking the first lower‑house poll since Moscow launched its full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In a televised address ahead of the ballot, President Putin urged citizens to cast their votes, arguing that each ballot helps secure Russia’s victory in Ukraine and signals national resolve against foreign interference.
United Russia, the pro‑Putin party that dominates the tightly controlled political system, is widely expected to retain its majority, a result that would reinforce the Kremlin’s legislative agenda amid the ongoing conflict.
Most anti‑war candidates have been barred from the race after the Supreme Court ruled that the liberal Yabloko party, which advocates a ceasefire, violated electoral rules, although a handful of Yabloko nominees continue to run in individual constituencies.
The Kremlin has framed national unity as essential, warning that Ukrainian intelligence services and other “enemies” are attempting to foment unrest inside Russia, a claim it uses to justify the emphasis on a high‑turnout vote.
Economic pressures are also weighing on the electorate: fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes, high interest rates, a tightening labour market and Western sanctions have strained households and businesses, and officials hope the election will reveal the depth of war weariness among the population.
Partial results are slated to begin filtering in at 6 p.m. on Sunday, with near‑complete tallies expected on Monday, providing the Kremlin with an early gauge of public sentiment on the war and its domestic policies.