PREVIEW

Russians Go To Polls Amid Ukraine War And Putin's Tightening Grip. Russians are voting in a three-day parliamentary election, the first State Duma contest since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. President Vladimir Putin's United Russia is seeking to maintain its longstanding dominance of parliament, with results expected after polls close on Sunday. The election comes as Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian infrastructure and growing concerns about the course of the war increasingly affect life inside Russia. Russia’s Supreme Court barred the anti-war Yabloko party from the nationwide party-list ballot, although some of its candidates are still running in individual constituencies. Other opposition parties remain on the ballot, but critics describe them as a "systemic opposition" that generally supports the Kremlin on major issues. The campaign has remained unusually subdued, with limited campaigning and candidates largely avoiding sensitive subjects including the war. Anxiety has also grown over the possibility of another military mobilisation after the election, prompting some Russian men to temporarily leave the country. Putin, who secured another six-year presidential term in 2024, has twice recently dismissed suggestions that another mobilisation is imminent.
Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT