Russian Parliamentary Vote Begins as Putin Seeks War‑Support Gauge

Polling stations opened across Russia’s Far East on Friday, marking the start of a three‑day election that is widely expected to see the ruling United Russia party retain its dominant position in the Duma. This election is the first parliamentary contest since the Kremlin’s military intervention in Ukraine in February 2022, a conflict that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Only parties that back President Vladimir Putin and the ongoing war effort have been permitted to run, and Moscow is also conducting voting in territories it controls in Ukraine. While most observers anticipate another victory for United Russia, the ballots offer the Kremlin a chance to measure the public’s current stance on the war and its domestic repercussions.