Russia Holds Heavily Controlled Parliamentary Elections Amid War and Economic Strain
As Russia holds tightly controlled parliamentary elections amid ongoing war and economic strain, President Vladimir Putin's ruling party is expected to maintain its absolute majority. The vote, spanning three days, excludes anti-war alternatives as public morale faces mounting domestic pressures.
Nearly five years after sending his army deep into Ukraine and launching a bloody war with no end in sight, Russian President Vladimir Putin will attempt to project strength this weekend. Russian citizens—or at least those who still find purpose in doing so—will head to the polls to vote in the first parliamentary elections since the start of the war. Unsurprisingly, these will likely be the most undemocratic elections seen in Moscow since the collapse of the Soviet Union. All 10 participating parties, led by the ruling United Russia party, are staunch supporters of Putin's policies. The sole party that dared to oppose the war in Ukraine was disqualified from running.
The parliamentary elections are taking place at a difficult time for Putin's regime. In recent months, Russia has suffered repeated Ukrainian drone strikes against oil facilities and e-commerce companies, causing significant damage to its economy, creating a prolonged fuel crisis, and, crucially, instilling growing fear among Russian civilians in the rear, at least in regions close to the Ukrainian border. Against this backdrop, the Kremlin hopes the elections will underscore public support for the war and lend an aura of legitimacy to its actions. Voting will span three days, starting Friday through Sunday, during which Russians will elect members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. Additionally, governors will be chosen in 11 regions, and regional legislative members in 39 regions.
The decision to spread the vote over three days is intended to boost turnout among the 111 million eligible voters and includes options for electronic voting. For the first time, the vote will also include residents of the four Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by Moscow following its 2022 invasion: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Voting is also taking place in the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine back in 2014. Duma elections are held under a mixed system: half of the 450 seats are distributed via nationwide proportional party lists, while the other half is allocated to representatives chosen individually in local constituencies. Consequently, each voter drops two different ballots into the ballot box.
United Russia Dominance and the Façade of Opposition
The Kremlin's central ruling party, United Russia, whose symbol is a bear walking beneath the Russian tricolor flag, won more than two-thirds of the Duma seats in the previous elections held in 2021, and is expected to regain full control of the lower house. Even amid growing public fatigue, recession, and a declining standard of living, Putin's well-oiled state propaganda machine and tight control over the electoral process virtually guarantee the party's victory. The party list is led by heavyweights such as 76-year-old Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who has held the post for 22 years, and 69-year-old Sergey Sobyanin, the highly influential Mayor of Moscow.
In a clear attempt to present fresh faces in what many perceive as a party of officials and bureaucrats, war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny, who was severely wounded by a Ukrainian drone strike, was placed third on the list. United Russia members have pledged to support the war effort and Putin's maximalist goals in what the Kremlin terms the "special military operation" in Ukraine. Concurrently, Sobyanin, viewed by many as a pragmatist, dismissed calls from hardliners in Russia to launch a large-scale conscription of draftees and transition the entire economy to a war footing. "To destroy a normal economy means to destroy the entire country," he stated in a remark reflecting the Kremlin's hope to win the war without risking the deeply unpopular move of mass mobilization.
Institutional Opposition and Marginalized Voices
Another significant actor expected to maintain its strength is the Communist Party, a leading force in parliament since the 1990s, led for over three decades by Gennady Zyuganov, an 82-year-old former Soviet official. For over a quarter century of Putin's rule, the communists have criticized certain aspects of government policy while carefully avoiding personal criticism of Putin. They also consistently support the war in Ukraine. Recently, the party has steadily increased its social media activity in an effort to reduce its reliance on an aging electorate and expand its base to the younger generation.
A third competing party is the Liberal Democratic Party, a misnomer given that it operates as an extreme nationalist force. Founded by Vladimir Zhirinovsky—a fiery and abrasive orator who regularly called for the reconquest of Soviet territories and threatened nuclear strikes against Russia's enemies—the party has maintained a significant parliamentary presence since the early 1990s, appealing to Soviet nostalgia. Since Zhirinovsky's death in 2022, the party has been led by Leonid Slutsky, a charismatic-free former lecturer who survived sexual harassment allegations. Like the communists, the Liberal Democratic Party unreservedly backs the war and boasts numerous veterans in its ranks, including former arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death."
Public Morale and Economic Pressures
Rounding out the candidate list are several smaller parties, including A Just Russia, a social-democratic formation competing with the communists for older and middle-aged voters with nostalgic sentiments, and New People, founded ahead of the 2021 elections to position itself as a liberal voice representing younger voters and technocrats. Although initially presenting itself as an opposition force, the party largely adopted Putin's policies following the elections.
Predicting voter turnout remains difficult. Polls indicate that Ukrainian strikes on the domestic rear and the worsening economic situation have damaged public morale. While Putin's approval ratings remain high, the independent Levada Center reports they dropped from 87% in September 2025 to 76% this past August. Even some high-ranking elites have openly expressed discomfort. Andrey Klepach, chief economist at the state-owned VEB.RF bank, recently warned of potential domestic unrest, stating, "We will not win the competition in this war of attrition. Our costs are soaring. I am almost certain we will face a social crisis." Klepach was fired the day after his remarks were published.
"Your choice and your determination will prove once again that millions of people stand behind our fighters, and that we are a united nation bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the motherland," President Vladimir Putin stated in an address ahead of the vote.
