It’s a challenging time for Russia to hold a parliamentary election, even one whose outcome is all but assured.
asserted
outcome → ’ → election
The economic and political climate has been seriously affected by 4 1/2 years of full-fledged war with Ukraine.
asserted
climate → affect → Ukraine
Swarms of enemy drones have inflicted massive damage on Russian oil refineries and logistical facilities.
asserted
Swarms → inflict → refineries
The public, which no longer sees the fighting as something distant, is increasingly nervous.
asserted
which → see → something
United Russia, the main Kremlin party, is poised to keep its overwhelming grip on the State Duma alongside a few other parties that vote in sync with President Vladimir Putin’s wishes.
asserted
that → poise → wishes
Still, authorities have tightened control over the first wartime balloting for the lower chamber of parliament since the 2022 invasion.
asserted
authorities → tighten → invasion
The Kremlin stifled even the slightest signs of dissent before three days of voting that begin Friday.
asserted
that → stifle → voting
The only party that dared to criticize the war was unceremoniously removed from the ballot, and a few anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced to flee abroad.
asserted
politicians → dare → ballot
With the result predetermined and Putin’s political dominance under no immediate threat, analysts say the Kremlin sees the election as a key effort to mobilize public support for the war and legitimize its action.
asserted
Kremlin → predetermine → action
“Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland,” Putin said in an address before the vote.
asserted
Putin → demonstrate → vote
Economic damage mounts from summer attacks
A summer marked by Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes brought the war home for millions of Russians for the first time.
asserted
summer → mount → time
The attacks exacerbated problems for the Russian economy, which has plunged into stagnation as the initial boost from massive military spending has waned.
asserted
boost → exacerbate → spending
The government raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep the growing budget deficit under control.
asserted
government → raise → control
Strikes on Russian oil refineries sparked a severe fuel crisis that peaked in June, eased for a few weeks and then returned in August.
asserted
that → spark → August
Adding to the pain was a series of attacks on warehouses belonging to online retailers Wildberries and Ozon.
asserted
series → add → retailers
Hundreds of thousands of individual sellers lost their merchandise, sending a shock wave through the economy.
asserted
thousands → lose → economy
All this dampened the public mood.
asserted
this → dampen → mood
Polls recorded a dip in Putin’s approval ratings, even though they remained high, with the independent Levada Center showing it at 76% in August, down from 87% in September 2025.
asserted
Center → record → September
Even some senior members of Russia’s elite openly expressed discontent.
asserted
members → express → discontent
Andrei Klepach, chief economist of the state VEB.RF bank, warned of possible internal turmoil in Russia.
asserted
Klepach → warn → Russia
“We won’t win the competition in this war of attrition,” he said at a seminar.
asserted
he → win → seminar
“Our costs are mounting.
asserted
costs → mount → ?
I’m almost sure that we will come to face a social crisis.
asserted
we → ’m → crisis
Klepach was dismissed the day after his comments were published.
asserted
comments → dismiss → ?
Putin doesn’t budge on his war goals
Putin acknowledged the strikes on oil refineries and logistical hubs inflicted significant damage but insisted the economy can weather it.
asserted
economy → budge → it
By striking such infrastructure, he said Ukraine opened a “Pandora’s box,” inviting massive retaliation.
asserted
Ukraine → strike → retaliation
Russia intensified attacks on Kyiv and other cities with missiles and new jet-powered drones, exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of defensive interceptors.
asserted
Russia → intensify → interceptors
Moscow also dramatically stepped up its barrage on Odesa and other Black Sea ports, disrupting Ukrainian exports of grain and other agricultural products, a key source of revenue.
asserted
Moscow → step → revenue
As the problems caused by Ukraine’s attacks spread across Russia, fears mounted that the Kremlin was mulling a massive mobilization.
asserted
Kremlin → cause → mobilization
A partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists in 2022 prompted hundreds of thousands of Russians to flee the country, undermining domestic stability.
asserted
mobilization → prompt → stability
Since then, the Kremlin has relied on volunteers to fight, offering comparatively high wages and other benefits.
asserted
Kremlin → rely → wages
Military experts warned, however, that the flow of volunteers has ebbed while massive losses have continued.
asserted
losses → warn → volunteers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly claims the Kremlin is considering a postelection mobilization, which Putin dismisses as “nonsense.”
uncertain
Putin → claim → nonsense
At a Sept. 5 Kremlin meeting with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and a subsequent call with President Donald Trump, Putin said Russia holds the upper hand on the battlefield, signaling he will keep his maximalist demands for striking a peace deal.
asserted
he → say → deal
Anti-war forces silenced
asserted
forces → silence → ?
In July, the Central Election Commission cleared 11 parties for the parliamentary ballot, including Yabloko, the only registered political party to openly criticize the war.
asserted
Commission → clear → war
Weeks later, however, the country’s Supreme Court removed Yabloko from the ballot.
asserted
Court → remove → ballot
It was acting on an appeal from the nationalist Motherland party that called liberal Yabloko’s anti-war stance akin to seeking the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity.
asserted
that → act → integrity
Kremlin-watchers described the move as an apparent sign of infighting between elements of the government who wanted a semblance of competition to increase voter turnout, and those who feared Yabloko’s presence could bring open criticism of the war and political instability.
uncertain
presence → describe → war
“The risks that the campaign would turn into a struggle for and against peace — that is, a dispute about the war — were quite high, and this clearly was not part of the plan,” said Tatyana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.
asserted
Stanovaya → turn → Center
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
