Putin urges Russians to vote in parliamentary election as show of support for Ukraine war

Russia's President Vladimir ⁠Putin on Wednesday framed ​participation in an upcoming parliamentary election as a barometer of support for ​Russia's war in Ukraine and urged Russians to vote.

Russia holds a three-day parliamentary election starting on Friday to choose the composition of its 450-seat ​lower ‌house of parliament, the State Duma, which has ⁠a track record of faithfully approving the Kremlin's initiatives.

It is the first parliamentary election since ‌Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022 and ⁠comes at a time when opinion polls show some Russians have become more anxious about how the conflict affects them, ​as the economy is under strain, and as most ‌anti-war candidates have been excluded from the ballot.

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The political system is tightly controlled and the ruling United Russia party, backed by Putin, is widely ‌expected to retain its dominance.

In a televised address to the nation ahead of the vote, Putin ​referred to the war in Ukraine and to Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, saying that casting a vote would help secure Russia's victory and ​demonstrate national resolve in the face of external pressure.

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"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, and that no one will succeed in dividing or intimidating us, or in undermining our statehood and our socio-political system," Putin said.

He said the vote would serve ⁠as a collective response to those seeking to weaken Russia, hinder its development, ⁠and deprive it of ​its sovereignty and right to determine its own future.