Russia's ruling pro-Putin party on track for easy win in wartime elections

Russia’s ruling United Russia party was on track for a comfortable victory in the country’s parliamentary election, with partial official results showing it had secured 57.5% of the vote. President Vladimir Putin had framed the election as a test of public support for his policies and the war in Ukraine.

The vote was the first parliamentary election since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Other parties, including the Communists, LDPR, New People and Just Russia, were trailing by a wide margin but were on course to win seats in the 450-member State Duma.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a former president, said United Russia had performed with dignity, saying the result showed that Russians had entrusted the party with continuing to govern.

UKRAINE LAUNCHES MASSIVE DRONE ATTACK

The election coincided with a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and other Russian regions. Russian authorities said the strikes killed three people in the Moscow region and two more in the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, including an election official.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the attack was aimed at disrupting the election but claimed it had failed to achieve that objective.

A facility at Moscow’s oil refinery, which had been targeted previously, was also damaged. Flames and huge columns of smoke were seen rising from the site as voting got underway in the capital.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said Ukraine had also fired Flamingo cruise missiles and claimed that nearly 2,000 Ukrainian drones and eight cruise missiles had been shot down across various regions in the previous 24 hours. It said Russia would intensify strikes against Ukrainian military targets in response.

VOTING SYSTEMS HIT BY CYBERATTACKS

Russian election authorities said voting systems also faced waves of cyberattacks but maintained that the electoral process had remained largely smooth.

Turnout had reached nearly 57% by early evening Moscow time, according to Central Election Commission data.

Russia’s opposition in exile had called on people opposed to the authorities to gather at polling stations at noon as a symbolic protest. Long queues formed at some locations, although it remained unclear how much impact the action had on the overall result.

OPPOSITION CANDIDATES LARGELY BARRED

Most anti-war candidates were barred from the ballot. Candidates from the liberal Yabloko party said they feared for their freedom after courts handed lengthy prison terms to two senior party figures over comments about the conflict.

Discrediting the army or spreading what authorities consider fake news can carry lengthy prison sentences in Russia.

In a small act of defiance, Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov spoiled his ballot paper by writing the party’s name along with the slogan "For peace".

The Kremlin says national unity and some censorship are necessary during what it calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. Moscow has portrayed the conflict as part of an existential struggle with the West and accused its opponents of attempting to create unrest inside Russia.

PERMITTED OPPOSITION PARTIES COULD BENEFIT

Ukraine, which has suspended elections under martial law, dismissed the Russian vote as a "pseudo election".

Despite the predictable outcome, the election could still create difficulties for the Kremlin if voters concerned about the economic impact of the war shift their support towards permitted opposition parties.

The Communist Party and New People party could potentially attract votes that authorities would prefer to go to United Russia, amid growing economic pressure and public concerns over the consequences of the war.

The Kremlin is expected to present the results as evidence of public backing for Putin’s policies and the war, which has entered its fifth year with no immediate sign of ending.

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