Russia's Parliamentary Election: United Russia Wins Majority

The outcome of Russia's parliamentary election held few surprises. Within a political system tightly controlled by the Kremlin, the ruling United Russia party, backed by President Vladimir Putin, was heavily favored to maintain its position as the largest faction in the State Duma by a wide margin.

This predictable victory unfolded after more than four and a half years of war in Ukraine, which has caused heavy battlefield casualties for the Russian military, severe economic strains, and widespread petrol shortages driven by Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil facilities. Other opposition parties that cleared the 5% threshold to enter the new parliament were identical to those in the previous pro-Kremlin legislature.

In contrast, Yabloko, the sole anti-war political party permitted to participate, faced a swift disqualification. Just twelve days after securing official registration, the party list was struck down by the Supreme Court due to mounting Kremlin concerns over the public traction of its peace platform. Although roughly a hundred Yabloko candidates ran as individual constituency candidates, preliminary figures indicate none secured a seat.

"What other result can there be if there were ten parties on the ballot and they all support the policies of Putin?"

Nikolai Rybakov, Yabloko Party Chairman

Ahead of the final day of the three-day election, Ukraine launched a massive drone offensive targeting the Moscow area, resulting in three deaths in the Moscow Region and a strike on a capital oil refinery. Voters near the facility displayed a quiet resignation rather than shock, with Muscovites increasingly accustomed to their city acting as a frontline as the war enters its fifth year.