United Russia wins record 355 seats as Yabloko enters regional parliament
United Russia secured a record 355 seats in the State Duma on 21 September, winning 57. 8% of the vote, while the anti-war Yabloko party cleared the 5% threshold in a single regional legislature, Russian election officials said. The September 18-20 parliamentary election was conducted across Russia, including the annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, a move denounced by Kyiv. The election commission reported cyber attacks on the online voting platform and authorities noted drone and missile strikes on Moscow, but said voting proceeded largely uninterrupted.
Exiled Russians cast ballots in cities such as Milwaukee, and officials reported turnout of 59. 3%, the highest since 2011. Analysts noted that the openly anti-war Yabloko party was removed from the party list and other candidates were disqualified, while President Vladimir Putin placed hundreds of war veterans among the candidates.