Russia begins three-day parliamentary election expected to bolster Putin's war support

Russia has commenced a three-day parliamentary election from September 18 to 20, 2026, to elect the 450-seat State Duma. This is the first legislative vote since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party is guaranteed to retain power, as the Kremlin has barred the anti-war Yabloko party and other genuine opposition. The Kremlin is using the tightly controlled vote, which includes occupied Ukrainian territories, to gauge public support for the war amid rising domestic economic strains and Ukrainian drone strikes.

Ukraine war electoral backdrop

• ▪Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that Russian forces destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones bound for the capital overnight between September 17 and September 18, 2026.
• ▪The September 2026 parliamentary election is the first nationwide legislative vote held in Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• ▪The 2026 Russian election takes place amid domestic economic strains, including fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Russian parliamentary election process

• ▪The Russian parliamentary election is being held over three days, from September 18 to September 20, 2026, with initial partial results expected after 18:00 GMT on Sunday.
• ▪Russian election officials have organized voting for the 2026 parliamentary election in occupied territories of Ukraine.
• ▪Russia began voting on September 18, 2026, in a three-day parliamentary election to determine the make-up of the 450-seat State Duma.

United Russia dominance

• ▪The approval rating of the ruling United Russia party hovered around 32% in public opinion polls leading up to the September 2026 election.
• ▪President Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party is widely expected to retain its dominant majority in the State Duma during the September 2026 election.

Opposition exclusion from ballot

• ▪Russian authorities have excluded all meaningful anti-war candidates and opposition figures from the September 2026 parliamentary ballot.
• ▪Russia's exiled opposition, including Yulia Navalnaya, urged anti-war Russians to participate in the election and coordinate protest voting on Sunday, September 20, 2026.

Kremlin public support measurement

• ▪The Kremlin is using the September 2026 parliamentary election to gauge public support for the war in Ukraine and measure society's war weariness.
• ▪President Vladimir Putin urged Russians to vote to demonstrate that millions of people support the Russian military fighting in Ukraine.

Debatable claims

• ▪The 2026 election results will genuinely measure Russian public support for the war
• ▪Anti-war Russians should participate in the 2026 parliamentary election
• ▪Russia is justified in holding parliamentary elections in occupied Ukrainian territories

Anti-war party ban

• ▪The Russian Supreme Court barred the liberal, anti-war Yabloko party from competing in the September 2026 parliamentary election.
• ▪Lev Shlosberg, a senior figure in the Yabloko party, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for criticizing the war in Ukraine.