Over three days, voters will decide on 450 Duma seats amid a campaign heavily influenced by ongoing conflict.
Russia is gearing up for parliamentary elections on September 18, 19, and 20, 2026, marking the first since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Just two days before the polls open, Vladimir Putin has ascribed a significance to the vote that extends beyond merely renewing the lower house of Parliament.
In a televised address, the Russian president called on citizens to participate, explicitly linking the vote to supporting troops in Ukraine and demonstrating Russia's resilience against external pressures.
For the Kremlin, this election is also a test of internal unity after more than four years of war.
Link to Putin: Voting Will Show “Millions Support Our Soldiers”Putin: Voting Will Show “Millions Support Our Soldiers”
A key part of Putin's speech highlighted the political weight he assigns to these elections.
Putin stated that voters' choices should prove that “millions are with our soldiers” and that Russian society remains united by shared values, historical memory, and patriotism.
He also asserted that no one will succeed in dividing or intimidating Russia or undermining its political system and sovereignty.
The vote is thus woven into the Kremlin's narrative since the conflict began: not just a war against Ukraine, but a broader struggle where Moscow claims to defend its sovereignty against Western pressures.
Link to Voting to Renew the Entire DumaVoting to Renew the Entire Duma
From Friday to Sunday, voters will elect all 450 deputies of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's Federal Assembly.
The current Parliament has consistently backed the Kremlin's major legislative initiatives. United Russia, which supports Putin, holds a dominant position, and available analyses suggest it will likely retain this in the new Parliament.
Alongside United Russia, other major parties already in the Duma, such as the Communist Party, the nationalist LDPR, A Just Russia, and New People, are also participating.
On many key issues, including the war, these parties have supported the government's and presidency's major decisions.
Link to The War Takes Center Stage in the CampaignThe War Takes Center Stage in the Campaign
Compared to previous parliamentary elections, the context has drastically changed.
The war has lasted over four years, with its effects becoming more visible within Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks have repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure and cities, while the economy grapples with Western sanctions, high interest rates, labor shortages, and fuel sector issues.
According to Reuters, some Russian polls indicate rising public anxiety over the conflict's consequences.
This doesn't automatically mean discontent will translate into an electoral outcome against the Kremlin. Russia's political system is tightly controlled, with many voices openly opposing the war excluded or marginalized.
For this reason, the Kremlin will closely monitor other indicators, starting with voter turnout.
Link to Nearly 200 Ukraine Veterans RunningNearly 200 Ukraine Veterans Running
The war's influence extends beyond Putin's speeches.
According to electoral authorities cited by the Associated Press, nearly 200 candidates have fought in Ukraine. Many feature in campaign materials, videos, and TV debates.
The Kremlin has long presented veterans as part of a new leadership class, which Putin has called Russia's “true elite.”
Their presence on candidate lists also aims to show voters that military service can lead to a role in the country's future political life.
However, several analysts consulted by AP suggest that the veterans' actual ability to gain power remains to be seen, as many promising candidates already had ties to political and administrative structures.
Link to Ovechkin in United Russia's CampaignOvechkin in United Russia's Campaign
The mobilization for the party supporting Putin has involved one of Russia's most famous athletes.
Alexander Ovechkin, hockey star and top scorer in NHL history, appeared in a United Russia campaign video alongside Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, among others.
The athlete's involvement sparked international controversy. The Washington Capitals explained that Ovechkin, a Russian citizen who spends part of the year in Moscow, was invited to participate in the video over the summer.
This episode further highlights how the campaign seeks to build a message of national unity around the party backing the president.
Link to Anti-War Opposition MarginalizedAnti-War Opposition Marginalized
Space for openly anti-war opposition is extremely limited.
The most notable case is Yabloko, a historic Russian liberal party and the only registered political force openly advocating for ending the war and achieving a ceasefire.
Many of its candidates were excluded from the race following a Russian Supreme Court decision last August. Nonetheless, the party retains some candidacies, primarily in Moscow.
Among them is 24-year-old Polina Lermant, who has centered her campaign on a call for peace.
The environment she operates in is particularly challenging: in Russia, laws against “discrediting” the armed forces and spreading information deemed false about the military can result in severe prison sentences. Some Yabloko members have already been jailed for anti-war statements.
Link to A Tightly Controlled CompetitionA Tightly Controlled Competition
This is a key aspect for interpreting Sunday's results.
Reuters describes Russia's political system as tightly controlled, with United Russia in a dominant position and genuine anti-Kremlin opposition significantly diminished by exclusions, arrests, convictions, and exile.
The issue isn't just who will win seats, but the degree of genuine political competition present in the vote.
For this reason, international attention will focus on the conditions under which the elections are held, participation, and voting procedures.
Link to Voting in Occupied Ukrainian TerritoriesVoting in Occupied Ukrainian Territories
There's also an element likely to provoke new international tensions.
Russian authorities plan to hold votes in occupied Ukrainian territories unilaterally annexed by Moscow.
The annexation of these areas is not recognized by Ukraine or most of the international community.
The voting organized by Moscow in these territories will thus be one of the most controversial aspects of the entire election event.
Link to Turnout Will Be a Key IndicatorTurnout Will Be a Key Indicator
While United Russia's control over the new Duma seems hardly contestable in the current political landscape, the most politically interesting data might be how many Russians choose to vote.
After years of war, the Kremlin wants to show a united and mobilized country.
Putin himself has turned participation into a political message: voting, in his portrayal, means demonstrating that the population supports the soldiers and that external pressures have failed to divide Russian society.
For this reason, turnout and the support garnered by United Russia will be used by authorities to gauge and communicate the level of backing for the political system.
Link to The First National Vote After Over Four Years of WarThe First National Vote After Over Four Years of War
The elections from September 18-20 come at a very different time than those in 2021.
Back then, the large-scale invasion of Ukraine had not yet begun. Today, the war permeates almost every aspect of Russian political life: from propaganda to the economy, from internal security to the composition of electoral lists.
And Putin himself has chosen not to separate the two spheres.
In his call for participation, the president presented the vote as a response to those who, according to the Kremlin, seek to weaken Russia and deprive it of the ability to autonomously decide its future.
Voting begins on Friday. On Sunday, September 20, polls will close, and counting will start.
The results will determine the composition of the new Duma. But for the Kremlin, the political stakes are broader: turning the first parliamentary elections since the war in Ukraine began into a demonstration of continuity, stability, and support for Putin's policies.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved