The recent Russian parliamentary elections resulted in United Russia maintaining its control over the State Duma with a constitutional majority, as widely expected. Despite ongoing economic hardships and military setbacks from the war in Ukraine, no significant opposition parties gained traction; Yabloko, an anti-war party, was barred by the Supreme Court just days before the election. The article highlights voter resignation to their circumstances, noting that drone attacks on Moscow have become a grim reality for many Russians.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Russian parliamentary elections, held from September 18-20, were widely expected to see United Russia, President Vladimir Putin's party, maintain its dominance over the State Duma (lower house of parliament). Despite critics arguing that the outcome was predetermined and would have no significant impact on the country’s future, Russian authorities made persistent efforts to ensure high voter participation under current electoral law. The elections came amidst increasing war fatigue and economic hardship due to Ukraine's drone strikes targeting oil refineries and warehouses within Russia, causing fuel shortages and internet blackouts.
Exit polls conducted by independent groups at embassies and consulates abroad revealed starkly different results from those inside Russia: New People, an opposition party, garnered around 45% of the votes compared to United Russia’s reported near-58% support domestically. These discrepancies highlight a divergence between domestic and international perceptions of Putin's popularity, with many Russian expatriates opposing the war and expressing anxiety over its economic and social consequences.
Critics argue that these elections are more about demonstrating the regime's resilience than reflecting genuine public sentiment or political contestation, given the tight control exercised by the Kremlin.
Written for “Russia's Wartime Elections” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 64 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
Many things about Russia are hard to predict.
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things → publish → Russia
In a political system tightly controlled by the Kremlin, the party of power – United Russia – had been widely expected to maintain its grip on parliament.
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party → control → parliament
No other party came close.
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party → come → ?
Preliminary results suggest that United Russia is on course to retain its constitutional majority in the State Duma.
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Russia → suggest → Duma
And that's after more than four and a half years of war against Ukraine, which have resulted in huge battlefield losses for the Russian army, sparked economic hardship, as well as petrol shortages due to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities.
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which → result → facilities
It appears that those parties which have crossed the 5% threshold and made it into the new Duma are the same ones that were in the last parliament.
And that Duma was fully behind the Kremlin and the so-called special military operation.
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Duma → appear → Kremlin
One party that didn't make it into parliament was Yabloko.
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that → make → parliament
Yabloko had been the only anti-war party allowed to run in this election.
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Yabloko → allow → election
But just 12 days after being registered it was removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court.
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it → register → Court
That seemed to be a sign of Kremlin concern that Yabloko's pro-peace message was gaining too much traction with the public.
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message → seem → public
The party isn't surprised that the new Duma looks like being as compliant as the previous one.
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Duma → look → one
"What other result can there be if there were 10 parties on the ballot and they all support the policies of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin?" Yabloko party chairman Nikolai Rybakov tells me.
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Rybakov → be → me
"I don't think the Duma will change.
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Duma → think → ?
They'll vote 100% for the policies of Putin just like they did.
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they → vote → Putin
"
Although Yabloko had been struck off the party list, around 100 of its candidates remained in individual constituency races, although the party continued to face sustained pressure.
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party → strike → pressure
"Some of our candidates, who should have been running, are in jail, many were barred from running and some of our election observers weren't registered and were unable to keep an eye on the voting," Nikolai says.
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Nikolai → run → voting
Ahead of the final day of this three-day election, Ukraine had launched a large-scale drone attack on the Moscow area.
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Ukraine → launch → area
The city's oil refinery was hit.
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refinery → hit → ?
At a polling station near the oil refinery, I spoke to voters about the attack.
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I → speak → attack
Here, too, there was little surprise at what had transpired.
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what → be → ?
More than four and a half years into Russia's war on Ukraine, Muscovites had grown used to their city periodically becoming a front line.
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city → grow → Ukraine
"People in the Donbas, as well as in Bryansk, and Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, hear this kind of thing every day," says a voter called Viktor, who has exited the polling station.
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who → hear → station
"They just get on with their lives.
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They → get → lives
"
If the outcome of this election was predictable, what happens next is less clear.
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happens → happen → election
The Kremlin will likely use the result to claim that most Russians have rallied behind the president, and to justify future policies and subsequent decisions on the war.
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Russians → use → war
President Putin recently ruled out another wave of mobilisation.
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Putin → rule → mobilisation
"There is no scenario today that would require it," he declared.
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he → be → it
At the very least, the Kremlin is likely to treat the election result as a "mandate from the people" to continue the war.
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Kremlin → treat → war
The Aporia
