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.
- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
Fears are growing that Vladimir Putin could order a fresh mass mobilisation to bolster his depleted frontline forces after securing a record victory in Russia's latest elections.
uncertain
Putin → see → elections
Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won a record supermajority in the Duma (Russian Parliament), authorities announced Monday after a tightly controlled three-day election without parties critical of the Kremlin or the war in Ukraine.
asserted
authorities → win → Ukraine
Preliminary results showed United Russia - which has dominated Russian politics for 25 years - won 355 of the Duma's 450 seats.
asserted
which → show → seats
The result handed Putin's party an increased supermajority and beat its previous record of 343 seats - giving it a free hand for constitutional changes.
asserted
result → hand → changes
The Kremlin said the first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in 2022 showed Russians were united around Putin, who has been in power since New Year's Eve 1999.
asserted
who → say → Eve
The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions in Ukraine and hit ordinary lives in Russia more than ever this year.
asserted
conflict → kill → Russia
Forty-nine veterans who fought for Moscow in Ukraine are expected to enter parliament to represent United Russia, the party told Russian state media.
asserted
party → fight → media
The Kremlin has sought to promote soldiers who fought in Ukraine into positions of authority when they return, with Moscow glorifying its troops.
asserted
Moscow → seek → troops
Members of a local electoral commission count votes in Donetsk
Russian soldiers prepare to fire toward Ukrainian positions
A serviceman of Russia's Emergencies Ministry sits under a mural depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin
And fears are now growing that Putin could use the results as a justification to forcibly recruit thousands of new troops.
uncertain
Putin → count → troops
Putin has denied this, but Kyiv has accused Moscow of planning a call-up in coming weeks.
asserted
Kyiv → deny → weeks
In August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence indicated that the Kremlin planned to mobilise another 300,000 soldiers after the elections.
asserted
Kremlin → say → elections
'We believe it will not happen in the central cities.
asserted
it → believe → cities
But I don't think they will be able to hide it very well,' he said.
asserted
he → think → it
Moscow has banned criticism of its military campaign and the only party that called for an end to the war - Yabloko - was barred from running for the federal parliament.
asserted
that → ban → parliament
It was, however, approved in some regions for local voting.
asserted
It → approve → voting
'These indicators, of course, point to the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing with journalists.
asserted
Peskov → point → journalists
Putin had encouraged Russians to vote in support of troops in Ukraine and Moscow also organised voting in occupied Ukraine.
asserted
Moscow → encourage → Ukraine
Pamfilova said turnout was over 59 percent, thanking Russians for voting despite what she called 'psychological pressure on Russia'.
asserted
she → say → Russia
Kyiv hit Moscow with its biggest drone attack of the war Sunday, the last day of voting, killing two people and setting an oil refinery ablaze.
'Despite the extreme situation, we were successful in ensuring the maximum security of these elections,' Pamfilova told a Moscow press conference.
asserted
Pamfilova → hit → conference
While nobody in Russia doubted United Russia would win, the election did bring one unexpected result: in the Novgorod region, in western Russia, war-critical Yabloko entered the regional parliament.
asserted
Yabloko → doubt → parliament
On social media, Yabloko's Novgorod branch said it received some 12,000 votes - just over six percent of votes in the region - enough to enter the regional legislature.
asserted
it → say → legislature
'Peace, freedom and life without fear - these are the values that have struck a chord in people's hearts and souls,' it said.
asserted
it → strike → hearts
Russia's Communist party came second in the vote, winning 40 Duma seats.
asserted
party → come → seats
The nationalist LDPR party took 25 seats and the New People party won 20.
asserted
party → take → 20
The election result is expected to further tighten Putin's grip on power.
asserted
result → expect → power
The election took place amid the escalation of the Ukraine war with no diplomatic solution in sight.
asserted
election → take → sight
Russia's liberal Yabloko party leader Nikolay Rybakov casts his ballot with a marker writing "For peace"
asserted
Rybakov → cast → peace
A fire burns at the book market following a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine
Fears are growing that Putin could use the results as a justification to forcibly recruit thousands of new troops
Plumes of smoke rise from fires (right) at an oil refinery following what the authorities say is a Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow
In some regions, voting also took place for the local heads.
uncertain
voting → burn → heads
In Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov - known for ruling the Muslim-majority republic with an iron fist - won 99.85 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said.
asserted
commission → know → vote
Opposing Kadyrov is hugely dangerous in Chechnya, which is known for extra-judicial killings.
asserted
which → oppose → killings
Putin's political opponents are in exile, prison or dead - such as his main opponent Alexei Navalny who died in an Arctic prison in 2024.
asserted
who → die → 2024
The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas dismissed Russia's 'so-called' election.
asserted
diplomat → dismiss → election
'The Kremlin silenced dissent, barred the only registered party that opposed its war in Ukraine, and shut out international election monitors.
asserted
that → silence → monitors
The veneer of democracy is all that remains in Russia,' Kallas said.
asserted
Kallas → remain → Russia
In a joint statement, five countries including the UK, Australia and Canada condemned Russia's 'sham' parliamentary elections in swathes of occupied Ukraine, branding the move 'part of a wider system of occupation'.
asserted
countries → include → occupation
The Aporia
