Over three days, Russians will vote to fill 450 seats in the Duma, with the ongoing war playing a central role in the election campaign.
Russia is gearing up for parliamentary elections on September 18, 19, and 20, 2026, the first since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Just two days before the polls open, Vladimir Putin has given the elections a significance that extends beyond merely renewing the lower house of Parliament.
In a televised address, the Russian president urged citizens to vote, linking the election directly to support for the military in Ukraine and Russia's ability to withstand external pressures.
For the Kremlin, this election is also a test of internal unity after more than four and a half years of conflict.
Link to Putin: The Vote Will Show "Millions Stand with Our Soldiers"Putin: The Vote Will Show "Millions Stand with Our Soldiers"
A key part of Putin's speech highlighted the political importance he attributes to the elections.
According to Putin, voters' choices should demonstrate that "millions stand with our soldiers" and that Russian society remains united by shared values, historical memory, and patriotism.
He also asserted that no one will be able to divide or intimidate Russia or undermine its political system and sovereignty.
Thus, the vote is woven into the narrative the Kremlin has used since the conflict began: not just a war against Ukraine, but a broader struggle where Moscow claims to defend its sovereignty from 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 supported the Kremlin's major legislative initiatives. United Russia, which backs Putin, starts from a position of clear dominance, and available analyses suggest it will retain this in the new Parliament.
Alongside United Russia, other major parties already in the Duma are participating: the Communist Party, the nationalist LDPR, A Just Russia, and New People.
On many key issues, including the war, these parties have supported the government's and presidency's main decisions.
Link to War at the Heart of the Election CampaignWar at the Heart of the Election Campaign
Compared to previous parliamentary elections, the context has completely changed.
The war has now lasted over four years, and its effects have become more visible within Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks have repeatedly targeted Russian infrastructure and cities, while the economy faces Western sanctions, high interest rates, labor shortages, and fuel sector problems.
According to Reuters, some polls in Russia also indicate growing 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, and most voices openly opposing the war have been excluded or marginalized.
Because of this, the Kremlin will closely monitor other indicators, starting with voter turnout.
Link to Nearly 200 Ukraine Veterans RunningNearly 200 Ukraine Veterans Running
The war is entering the elections not just through Putin's speeches.
According to electoral authorities' data reported by the Associated Press, nearly 200 candidates have fought in Ukraine. Many appear 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 the 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 actual ability of veterans to gain power remains to be seen, and many of the most promising candidates already had connections with political and administrative structures.
Link to Ovechkin in United Russia's CampaignOvechkin in United Russia's Campaign
The mobilization in favor of Putin's supported party has also involved one of Russia's most famous athletes.
Alexander Ovechkin, a hockey star and the NHL's all-time leading scorer, appeared in a United Russia campaign video alongside, among others, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The athlete's presence 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 illustrates how the campaign aims to build a message of national unity around the president's supporting party.
Link to War Opposition MarginalizedWar Opposition Marginalized
The space for an openly anti-war opposition is extremely limited.
The most notable case is Yabloko, a historic liberal Russian party and the only registered political force openly advocating for an end to the war and a ceasefire.
Many of its candidates were excluded from the race following a Russian Supreme Court decision last August. However, the party retains some candidacies, especially in Moscow.
Among them is 24-year-old Polina Lermant, who has based her campaign on calls for peace.
The environment she operates in is particularly challenging: in Russia, laws against "discrediting" the armed forces and spreading "false" information about the military can lead to 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 one of the key aspects to interpret the results expected on Sunday.
Reuters describes Russia's political system as tightly controlled, with United Russia in a dominant position and a genuinely anti-Kremlin opposition significantly reduced by exclusions, arrests, convictions, and exile.
The issue isn't just who will win the seats, but the degree of actual political competition present in the vote.
For this reason, international attention will focus on the conditions under which the elections are held, participation, and the voting process.
Link to Voting in Occupied Ukrainian TerritoriesVoting in Occupied Ukrainian Territories
There's also an element likely to cause new international tensions.
Russian authorities plan to hold votes in the occupied Ukrainian territories unilaterally annexed by Moscow.
The annexation of these areas is not recognized by Ukraine or most of the international community.
The vote organized by Moscow in those territories will thus be one of the most controversial aspects of the entire electoral event.
Link to Turnout Will Be a Key MetricTurnout Will Be a Key Metric
While United Russia's control over the new Duma seems hardly contestable in the current political landscape, the most politically interesting figure 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 not divided Russian society.
For this reason, voter turnout and the support garnered by United Russia will be used by authorities to measure and communicate the level of backing for the political system.
Link to First National Vote After Over Four Years of WarFirst National Vote After Over Four Years of War
The elections from September 18 to 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 nearly 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 decide its future independently.
The polls will open on Friday. Voting will close on Sunday, September 20, and the counting will begin.
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 start of the Ukraine war into a demonstration of continuity, stability, and support for Putin's policies.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved