A three-day voting period for Russia's State Duma elections commenced on Sept. 18 — the first parliamentary vote staged since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Polling stations across Russia and throughout the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will operate through Sept. 20, though simulated early balloting in occupied regions began weeks earlier.
Videos on how the elections are being held have started circulating online.
The Guardian noted that the parliamentary elections are unfolding under total state control, completely stripped of authentic political competition, with the predetermined outcome virtually guaranteed.
Half of the State Duma's 450 legislative seats will be determined through single-mandate constituencies, while the remaining 225 mandates are allocated across party lists. Ten officially sanctioned parties appeared on the ballot:
United Russia (the pro-Kremlin ruling faction led by Dmitry Medvedev);
Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF);
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR);
New People;
A Just Russia — For Truth;
Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice;
Communists of Russia;
Family;
Russian Ecological Party "The Greens";
Party of Direct Democracy.
None of the approved parties oppose or condemn Russian military aggression against Ukraine. Although the liberal, anti-war party Yabloko was initially permitted to enter the race, election authorities revoked its registration after independent polling indicated surging popular support, moving quickly to prevent an unpredictable voting outcome.
Remaining legal parties represent the Kremlin's loyal "systemic opposition" — factions allowed limited leeway to critique municipal administrators while rigorously toeing United Russia's line on foundational state policy. Political analyst Farida Rustamova observed that campaigns were exceptionally subdued, with candidates actively avoiding public attention and steering clear of sensitive wartime topics. A source close to the Kremlin confirmed that officials intentionally minimized publicity to prevent scrutiny and conclude the vote as swiftly as possible.
Vladimir Gelman, a professor of Russian politics at the University of Helsinki, noted that the primary institutional objective is providing Vladimir Putin's regime with an ongoing semblance of constitutional legitimacy and public mandate.
However, for ordinary citizens and Kremlin insiders, the election's primary significance lies in its immediate aftermath. Western analysts and intelligence agencies warn that concluding the vote frees the Kremlin’s hands to execute unpopular measures, chiefly a sweeping new wave of military mobilization to offset heavy attrition in Ukraine. Underscoring pervasive apprehension, an informed Moscow source disclosed that multiple elite families have dispatched their draft-age sons abroad in recent weeks ahead of expected conscription decrees.
Wartime manipulation and security alerts
Staged voting in occupied oblasts: From late August through Sept. 17, occupation administrations staged coercive "early voting" drives targeting Ukrainian civilians and stationed Russian soldiers across occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts.
Covert mobilization plans: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier cautioned that Moscow finalized preparations to draft roughly 300,000 personnel into service during the autumn of 2026 immediately following the simulated Duma campaign.
Underground intelligence warnings: On Sept. 10, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned that Russian special services could stage false-flag provocations and terrorist attacks across occupied Ukrainian territory during the electoral window to justify wartime crackdowns.
Systemic ballot fraud: On Sept. 11, Atesh partisan resistance revealed that Russian election workers engaged in rampant ballot-box stuffing during early voting, signing electoral rolls and casting forged ballots using the personal identities of dead and missing-in-action Russian soldiers.