United Russia Retains Control of State Duma Following Parliamentary Election

Preliminary election results in Russia indicate that United Russia, the ruling party backed by President Vladimir Putin, is set to maintain its constitutional majority in the State Duma with an increased margin. The outcome keeps the parliament firmly under the control of the Kremlin following the three-day vote.

Opposition Excluded from Parliamentary Ballot

The other political parties that surpassed the five percent threshold to secure seats in the new Duma were all present in the previous legislature, which consistently supported the Kremlin's policies and the military campaign in Ukraine. The anti-war Yabloko party was initially permitted to participate but was disqualified from the party-list ballot by the Supreme Court twelve days after registration. Although around 100 Yabloko candidates contested individual constituency races, preliminary figures show none secured a seat. Nikolai Rybakov, chairman of Yabloko, reported that the party faced significant pressure, noting that candidates were jailed or barred from running, while several observers were denied registration.

Election Takes Place Amid War and Infrastructure Attacks

The election occurred after more than four and a half years of military conflict in Ukraine, alongside domestic economic challenges and fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities. Ahead of the final day of voting, a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack struck the Moscow region, killing three people and hitting an oil refinery in the capital. Despite these disruptions and ongoing public concern regarding potential future troop mobilizations, President Putin recently stated that there is currently no scenario requiring another wave of mobilization. Analysts expect the Kremlin to cite the election outcome as evidence of broad public backing to justify its future policy decisions and the continuation of the war effort.