United Russia leads parliamentary election with 57.5% of early votes as drone strikes hit Moscow

Early election tallies and exit polls

Russia's ruling United Russia party took an early lead in the parliamentary election for the 450 seats of the State Duma. More than 110 million eligible voters were called to the polls over three days. With approximately 14% of the ballots counted, official returns published by the Central Election Commission placed United Russia at 57.5% of the vote. An exit poll released by the state-run polling center VCIOM projected the party to secure 49.4%, closely mirroring its 49.8% official result in 2021. A second exit poll placed United Russia at 50.8%. Four other parties aligned with Kremlin policy followed at a distance: the Communist Party registered 14.2% in the VCIOM survey, the nationalist LDPR took 10.7%, New People reached 9.7%, and Just Russia secured 6.6%. Official voter turnout exceeded 56%, according to Russian electoral officials.

United Russia49.4%

Communist Party14.2%

LDPR10.7%

New People9.7%

Just Russia6.6%

United Russia

49.4 %

Communist Party

14.2 %

LDPR

10.7 %

New People

9.7 %

Just Russia

6.6 %

Data from the article text

Voting conditions and opposition exclusion

The three-day ballot was the first parliamentary vote held since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. For the first time, voting was also organized in Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. President Vladimir Putin framed the election as an expression of support for the military campaign, and dozens of war veterans ran on the United Russia ticket. Genuine anti-war candidates were barred from competing. Nikolai Rybakov, the chairman of the Yabloko party, had his party removed from the ballot and publicly invalidated his vote, urging supporters to do the same. Both Yabloko and the Communist Party reported that hundreds of their observers were blocked from polling stations. In Saint Petersburg, monitors reported discrepancies between voter turnout logs and counted ballots alongside filmed instances of pre-filled ballots dropped into urns. State employees in regional districts reported pressure to participate, while electronic voting in Moscow drew complaints after citizens were registered without consent.

Drone attacks and wartime security

The final day of balloting coincided with extensive Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian regions in what state news agency TASS described as the largest attack since the conflict began. In the Moscow region, falling drones killed three people and ignited a fire at the Moscow oil refinery, sending plumes of smoke over the capital's outskirts. Two additional deaths occurred in Russian-held Kherson, including an election official. A cooling tower at the Kursk nuclear power plant was also reported struck. Russia's Defence Ministry stated that air defense units downed nearly 2,000 drones and eight Flamingo cruise missiles over a 24-hour period, later pledging intensified strikes against Kyiv in response.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin addressed the strikes on Telegram after voting concluded in the capital.

“The biggest attack by enemy drones has been repelled. This unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections. The enemy did not succeed.”

Parliament composition and next steps

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, stated that the vote demonstrated continued public trust in United Russia to govern. Half of the 450 seats in the State Duma are decided through proportional party lists, while the remaining 225 seats are allocated through single-mandate constituencies where United Russia traditionally secures dominant majorities. All five parties projected to enter the new Duma support the ongoing war in Ukraine. Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Election Commission, announced that final verified election results will be released no earlier than 25 September.