Russia opens three-day State Duma elections under wartime restrictions

Wartime balloting across three days

Voting begins on Friday, 18 September 2026, for all 450 seats in Russia's State Duma, running through Sunday, 20 September 2026. The parliamentary election is the first held since Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Balloting is also taking place across occupied Ukrainian territories, with seats allocated to represent areas that Russian forces have not yet captured. Ahead of the vote, regional administrations received Kremlin directives setting a benchmark for United Russia to win about 75% of the vote on turnout exceeding 50%, extending the ruling party's 23-year grip on parliament for another five-year term.

Barred candidates and courtroom penalties

The election follows administrative and judicial actions against anti-war voices. Authorities barred the liberal anti-war party Yabloko from the main ballot, removing the only registered organisation openly opposing the conflict. Key figures from the party have received lengthy prison terms for commenting on the military campaign. Yabloko deputy leader Maxim Kruglov was sentenced to seven years in prison in June 2026, and senior party member Lev Shlosberg received an 11-year sentence in August 2026. Despite the restrictions, about a dozen individual Yabloko candidates, such as 24-year-old Polina Lermant, run in Moscow constituencies.

Polina Lermant described her concerns while distributing peace flyers on the streets:

I'm really afraid. My parents and my husband are really worried about me. I am afraid that the repression will start.

Subdued campaigns and systemic rivals

The ballot includes United Russia alongside systemic opposition parties, such as the Communist Party and the far-right Liberal Democratic Party, which routinely vote with the Kremlin on core policies. Electoral bodies disqualified several prominent Communist candidates viewed as potential alternatives. Campaign activity has remained notably restrained, with candidates avoiding sensitive issues and some televised debates taking place in partially empty studios due to missing participants.

Farida Rustamova, founder of the independent Vlast newsletter, evaluated the unusual conduct of the campaigns:

In most elections, candidates compete for attention. In Russia this year, many are doing the opposite.

Economic strains and wartime domestic background

The vote unfolds as Russia faces growing domestic friction linked to the conflict. Ukrainian drone strikes over the summer damaged Russian oil refineries, factories, and logistics hubs, causing local fuel shortages alongside high interest rates, workforce deficits, and internet restrictions. Exiled political commentator Ivan Preobrazhensky noted that many citizens view voting as a demonstration of loyalty rather than a competitive choice, while analyst Dan Storyev characterized the process as a facade designed to project institutional credibility both domestically and abroad.