United Russia wins record Duma majority in first parliamentary vote since Ukraine invasion

United Russia, the party that backs President Vladimir Putin, won a record majority in Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, after voting held from September 18 to 20. It was Russia's first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The results

According to Euronews, election officials said United Russia secured a record number of seats in the 450-seat chamber, with the Communist Party second, followed by the nationalist LDPR and the New People party. Seat totals reported by Euronews on September 21 and by The Moscow Times on September 25 differed slightly, but both gave United Russia more than two-thirds of the seats. The Moscow Times reported that A Just Russia also won seats.

Turnout was more than 59 percent, according to Ella Pamfilova, who chairs Russia's Central Election Commission. The Moscow Times said this was the highest turnout since 2011. More than 280,000 Russians voted abroad at 333 polling stations in 152 countries, according to The Moscow Times.

The Moscow Times reported that 46 veterans of the war in Ukraine won seats, and that some face allegations of war crimes in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed their success, saying: "The experience of our heroes is in high demand."

Criticism of the vote

Euronews noted that the Kremlin restricts criticism of its military campaign and that no opposition parties critical of Putin took part in the election. According to The Moscow Times, independent experts described the vote as "the most uncompetitive in the country's modern history". The opposition Yabloko party had been barred from party-list voting by Russia's Supreme Court in August, the outlet reported.

Pamfilova defended the vote. "Our wonderful people put all of this aside, rose above it and demonstrated the highest level of civic responsibility," she said, according to The Moscow Times.

Cyberattacks and drones

Pamfilova said that "more than 1,000 waves of DDoS attacks" targeted election systems, describing them as the work of "highly professional, well-coordinated groups using artificial intelligence tools," Euronews reported. These claims could not be independently verified.

On the final day of voting, Ukraine launched about 1,600 drones at Moscow, killing two people and striking an oil refinery, according to Euronews. Russia's defence ministry vowed to "continue and intensify" strikes on Kyiv in response.

Why it matters

The State Duma passes the laws that shape Russia's domestic policy and its war effort. A larger United Russia majority, combined with the exclusion of opposition parties critical of the Kremlin, leaves the new parliament with little organised opposition to Putin's policies, including on the war in Ukraine.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.