United Russia Leads Russian Parliamentary Vote as Turnout Hits 56.7%

Preliminary data from the Central Election Commission indicate that United Russia is leading the parliamentary election with 57.5% of the vote, and overall voter turnout was reported at 56.66%. The election took place as Ukraine launched a large drone attack on Moscow, resulting in casualties and damage to an oil refinery.

The vote, held over three days across Russia’s time zones and at diplomatic missions abroad, also included residents of occupied territories in Ukraine, where new constituencies were added for parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine dismissed the elections held in its territory as illegitimate.

United Russia, the party that supports President Vladimir Putin, previously secured 324 of the 450 seats in the 2021 Duma. Putin, who is not a candidate in this election and will not face another presidential vote until 2030, addressed the nation beforehand, saying the results would demonstrate public backing for the armed forces.

Opposition parties faced significant restrictions. Yabloko, the only registered anti-war party, was barred from the national party list by the Supreme Court, though some candidates ran in single-seat districts. The party reported that an observer lost consciousness after being detained at a polling station in St. Petersburg and that other observers were barred elsewhere.

Electronic voting, introduced in the 2021 election, was widely promoted this time, with incentives offered for online participation. Reports of system malfunctions and cyber attacks on election infrastructure were noted by the Central Election Commission, which recorded thousands of DDoS attacks and damage to election commission buildings.

Observers are likely to focus on turnout as an indicator of public sentiment toward the war and the country's political direction, rather than the final seat distribution.