Russia begins three-day voting for all 450 State Duma seats

Russians began voting on Friday in a three-day parliamentary election for all 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house, the first such vote since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Polling stations opened first in the Far East, including Kamchatka and Chukotka, with voting until Sunday. Putin's United Russia is expected to retain dominance. The anti-war Yabloko party was removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court. Ukraine called voting in Russian-controlled areas illegal.

Written by AI from Times of India — Top · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 18 Sept 2026, 3:23 am IST

Source

Times of India — Top · read the original report ↗

#russia#state duma#elections#ukraine war#putin

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

Russians began voting Friday in a three-day election for all 450 State Duma seats, the first since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. — Figure and timeline appear in the source; no external verification possible.
Polling opened first in the Far East, including Kamchatka and Chukotka, with voting until Sunday. — Stated in source without named official attribution.
Putin urged voters to participate, calling it a show of unity and support for troops. — Directly quoted from a televised address as reported in the source.
The anti-war Yabloko party was removed from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court after being cleared. — Attributed to court action in the source; no case details given.
Ukraine rejects voting in Russian-controlled Ukrainian areas as illegal and without legal validity. — Attributed to Ukraine in the source; analysts' views attributed to Reuters.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Strategic Affairs Analyst

This is not an election about transferring power — it is a wartime exercise in demonstrating legitimacy and mobilising society. Coming as the first parliamentary vote since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, and with the anti-war Yabloko party removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court, it is clear the Kremlin's focus is on participation levels and a message of unity rather than on the outcome. Putin's framing of voting as backing for Russian troops ties the ballot directly to the war effort.

With United Russia widely expected to retain dominance, the real strategic metric is not the result but turnout and the read it offers on public sentiment.
The Supreme Court's removal of anti-war Yabloko narrows the space for open electoral criticism of the war, though the Kremlin presents this as a legal process.
Holding the vote in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine is an attempt to politically consolidate territorial control; Ukraine's rejection of it as illegal keeps it a live diplomatic dispute.
The vote falls at a moment of growing economic pressure and Ukrainian drone strikes reaching deeper into Russian territory, raising the premium on an internal stability narrative.
Three days of voting across a country spanning many time zones is a logistical necessity, but it also leaves room for external questions about transparency.

What to watch — Watch the participation figures announced after voting closes on Sunday, and how Ukraine and Western capitals respond to balloting held in occupied areas.

The story does not establish turnout, results or the quality of the electoral process, nor does it indicate how Western governments will react or whether any shift in war policy will follow.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Russia has begun a three-day parliamentary election to fill all 450 seats of the State Duma, the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia. It is the first such nationwide legislative vote since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Voting opened first in the Far East, including Kamchatka and Chukotka, and continues across the country until Sunday. President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is widely expected to retain its dominant position, while the anti-war Yabloko party was removed from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court.

Key facts

All 450 seats of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly, are being contested in the election.
Voting began on Friday and continues for three days, until Sunday.
This is the first such parliamentary election since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Polling stations opened first in Russia's Far East, including Kamchatka and Chukotka.
Parties contesting alongside United Russia include the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia and New People.
The anti-war Yabloko party had been cleared to contest but was later removed from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court.
Voting is also being held in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine; Ukraine has rejected it as illegal with no legal validity.
The election comes as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, amid growing economic pressure and Ukrainian drone attacks reaching deeper into Russian territory.

Timeline

February 2022Moscow launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Before the voteRussia's Supreme Court removes the anti-war Yabloko party from the ballot after it had been cleared to contest.
Ahead of pollingPutin urges Russians to vote in a televised address, framing participation as national unity and support for Russian troops.
FridayVoting begins; polling stations open first in the Far East, including Kamchatka and Chukotka.
Through SundayThree-day voting continues across the country, including in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine.

Who has a stake

United Russia — Putin's party, widely expected to retain its dominant position in the lower house.
President Vladimir Putin — Presents the vote as a demonstration of national unity and support for Russian troops during the war.
Yabloko party — Anti-war party cleared to contest but then removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court, losing its chance to compete.
Russia's Supreme Court — Judicial body whose ruling excluded Yabloko from the ballot.
Opposition and other parties (Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia, New People) — Compete for Duma seats amid tight Kremlin restrictions on anti-war political activity.
Ukraine — Rejects voting in Russian-controlled parts of its territory as illegal and without legal validity.
Russian voters — Turnout and choices will offer a measure of public sentiment as the war affects the economy and population.

Why it matters

The vote is the first nationwide test of the Duma's composition since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the Kremlin is using it to project unity and public backing for the war. The exclusion of the anti-war Yabloko party and continuing restrictions on anti-war politics raise questions about how competitive the contest is. Voting in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, which Kyiv calls illegal, also makes the election a point of international contention.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia; it has 450 seats.
The 2025-style Duma election described here is held over three days, from Friday to Sunday.
Polling opened first in Russia's Far East regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka.
United Russia is President Vladimir Putin's party and dominates the lower house.
Other parties named: Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia, New People.
The anti-war Yabloko party was removed from the ballot by Russia's Supreme Court.

Mains framing

Russia's three-day election for all 450 State Duma seats is the first parliamentary vote since the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and it illustrates how wartime politics reshapes electoral competition. The Kremlin frames the exercise as a demonstration of national unity and support for soldiers, with Putin appealing to shared values and historical memory, while maintaining tight restrictions on anti-war political activity; the removal of the cleared anti-war Yabloko party from the ballot by the Supreme Court narrows the field further, leaving United Russia contesting mainly against the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, A Just Russia and New People. The context matters: the war has entered its fifth year, authorities face growing economic pressure, and Ukrainian drone attacks are reaching deeper into Russian territory, so analysts cited by Reuters see the vote as a gauge of public sentiment even where the outcome appears predetermined. The extension of voting to Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, rejected by Kyiv as illegal and without legal validity, adds an international law dimension. A way forward would require competitive access to the ballot for anti-war parties and resolution of the territorial question, neither of which the source indicates is currently in prospect.

Key terms

State Duma: The lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly, with 450 seats, all being contested in this election.
Federal Assembly of Russia: Russia's national legislature, of which the State Duma is the lower house.
United Russia: President Vladimir Putin's party, widely expected to retain its dominant position in the Duma.
Yabloko: Anti-war Russian party that was cleared to contest the election but later removed from the ballot by the Supreme Court.
Kamchatka and Chukotka: Far East Russian regions where polling stations opened first.
Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine: Areas where voting is also being held; Ukraine calls such polls illegal and without legal validity.

Practice questions

Discuss how wartime conditions shape electoral competition, using Russia's three-day State Duma election as an illustration.
Examine the international law objections to holding elections in territories under foreign military control, with reference to Ukraine's rejection of voting in Russian-controlled areas.
'Elections can serve as instruments of legitimation rather than choice.' Critically evaluate this statement in the light of the removal of the anti-war Yabloko party from the ballot.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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