Russia’s ruling United Russia party is set to further strengthen its already dominant position in parliament, according to preliminary results from the country’s first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia was projected to win more than three-quarters of the 450 seats in the State Duma, potentially giving the Kremlin-backed party its largest parliamentary majority to date.
The election was held from Friday to Sunday and marked the first parliamentary vote since President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Voting was also conducted in four Ukrainian regions that Russia seized and declared annexed later that year, as well as in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Ukraine condemned the voting in those territories as illegal.
Preliminary figures from Russia’s Central Election Commission showed United Russia winning about 58 per cent of the party-list vote for 225 seats and securing 208 of the 225 single-member constituencies. The figures put the party on course for 355 seats.
Several smaller parties regarded as part of Russia’s “systemic opposition” are expected to take most of the remaining seats, while only a small number are likely to go to independent candidates.
Turnout exceeded 59 per cent, according to preliminary figures, making it the highest participation recorded in a Russian parliamentary election in more than a decade.
The election took place amid a broader crackdown on political dissent. The liberal Yabloko party, one of the few registered political groups to openly criticise the war, was removed from the party-list ballot by Russia’s Supreme Court last month. Some anti-war politicians were also imprisoned or left the country before the campaign.
No Yabloko candidate was projected to win a seat. The party said, however, that five of its candidates in Moscow finished second in their constituencies, each receiving more than 10 per cent of the vote.
Yabloko and the Communist Party also alleged that some of their election observers were prevented from entering polling stations.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was not invited to observe the election. Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the organisation of applying “double standards”, while the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly said the decision breached Russia’s commitments as a member.
The election was also held against the backdrop of intensified Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 1,110 Ukrainian drones overnight on Sunday, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported hundreds of drones approaching the capital.
Authorities said the attacks damaged an oil refinery and a residential building, while three people were killed and 38 others injured in the wider Moscow region.
Russia’s final election results are expected to be announced on Friday.
