Polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate

Polls have closed in Russia’s first parliamentary elections held since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and early tallies show the ruling United Russia party pulling well ahead. Russia’s Central Election Commission reported turnout at 56.66% when voting ended, and the first official results and final turnout figures were expected on Monday morning. Authorities said the overall electoral process was mostly smooth despite multiple reported incidents.

The Kremlin sought to use the vote to demonstrate popular backing for its actions in Ukraine, and ballots were cast by residents of Crimea and parts of four Ukrainian regions that Russia annexed after the invasion — territories Kyiv and much of the international community do not recognise as legitimately Russian. Kyiv condemned voting in those occupied areas as illegal and urged other governments not to accept the results; the European Union labelled the inclusion of those regions a "blatant violation of international law."

Election day saw serious security incidents, including what state media described as the largest drone attack since the war began, with hundreds of drones launched at Moscow and other regions. Officials reported civilian deaths in the Moscow region and in the Russian-held part of Kherson, where an election official was among the dead. Russian authorities also alleged attacks on electronic voting systems and communication lines during the polls.

Domestic political conditions heavily favoured the Kremlin and its aligned parties. United Russia and several smaller parties often described as the "systemic opposition" were broadly expected to retain control of the State Duma. Independent or anti-war voices faced significant constraints: the liberal Yabloko party was removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court last month, a number of anti-war politicians were jailed or fled the country, and state media mounted a large campaign supporting pro-Kremlin candidates. Russia did not invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the Foreign Ministry accusing the body of "double standards" for its criticism of Russia.

Given the tightly managed political environment, the combination of state media support and the exclusion or suppression of genuine opposition made it likely that the Kremlin would maintain tight control over the lower house, even as the country faces mounting economic pressure and continuing Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russian-held territory.