&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Russia parliamentary election: Putin urges voters to back troops as three day poll begins")
Russians began voting on Friday (Sept 18) in a tightly controlled three day parliamentary election, with the vote expected to further strengthen President Vladimir Putin’s 26 year hold on power as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.
The election marks the first parliamentary vote in Russia since the start of the war with Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has since killed hundreds of thousands of people.
Only parties supporting Putin and the Kremlin’s military campaign have been allowed to contest the election. Moscow has also extended voting to areas of occupied Ukraine, with residents of four Ukrainian regions included in the parliamentary election for the first time.
Voting held in occupied Ukrainian regions
The four regions were annexed by Moscow after the war began, although Russia does not fully control them. Voting is also being held in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
The European Union criticised the election, saying “repression” had been used to eliminate opponents. A Council of Europe body also described the vote as “fake”.
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Putin’s United Russia party is widely expected to retain its dominance, with few Russians expecting a major change in the result. However, the election will provide an indication of public support for the war.
Voting is taking place for all 450 seats in the Duma, Russia’s lower house. Polling will continue until 1800 GMT on Sunday.
Putin has ruled Russia since 1999, while United Russia has dominated the country’s political system since the early 2000s. Criticism of Moscow’s Ukraine campaign has also been banned, and elections held under Putin have rarely produced major surprises.
Putin urged Russians to participate in the vote, calling on them to demonstrate support for Moscow’s troops and deliver an “answer to those who want to weaken Russia”.
Fears of fresh mobilisation
The period after the election has also raised concerns over a possible new military mobilisation. Some fear Russia could announce a fresh call-up similar to the 2022 mobilisation, when 300,000 reservists were drafted.
The 2022 move proved deeply unpopular and triggered a mass exodus of draft-age men from Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Kremlin of preparing another mobilisation drive, although Putin has denied the allegation.
At the same time, Ukrainian strikes have caused greater disruption inside Russia this year, reaching areas as far as Siberia and the Urals.
Putin’s political opponents have largely been pushed into exile. His main political opponent, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison in 2024.
