Russia holds nationwide Duma elections as war in Ukraine reshapes vote

Russia has begun a three-day parliamentary election to fill all 450 seats in the State Duma, with about 111 million people eligible to vote. Polling stations opened first in Kamchatka, Chukotka, Magadan and other eastern regions, where local officials urged residents to turn out. The Kremlin is closely watching participation, with Vladimir Putin presenting high turnout as a sign of national unity and support for the war in Ukraine.

The vote is taking place in a tightly controlled political environment. United Russia is expected to remain dominant, while the main registered anti-war party, Yabloko, has been excluded from the national party-list ballot. Some of its candidates are still running in individual constituencies, although many have also been barred from those races.

The election also includes remote electronic voting in several regions and is being held in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as Crimea. Ukraine and Western governments consider the polls there illegal.

Outside Russia, 333 polling stations are operating in 152 countries, while early voting has already taken place in remote areas and among soldiers. The election comes as the war increasingly affects daily life across Russia, with drone attacks, fuel shortages, economic pressure and renewed fears of mobilisation adding to the tensions surrounding the vote.