Russia Concludes First Wartime Parliamentary Election

Russia concluded its first parliamentary election since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine on September 20, 2026, with the ruling United Russia party widely expected to maintain its dominance in the State Duma. The three-day vote for the 450-seat lower house of parliament, held from September 18 to 20, marked a significant moment as the country continues its military campaign in Ukraine. For the first time, voting was organized in occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, regions annexed by Russia in 2022. Ukrainian authorities and the European Union condemned this as illegal, with reports of coercion against residents. Russian officials stated that over 3.5 million eligible voters live in these territories. The political landscape was heavily restricted. The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered party openly opposing the war, was removed from the nationwide party-list ballot by the Supreme Court in August following a lawsuit. While some Yabloko candidates remained in single-member constituencies, most antiwar candidates were excluded from the national contest.