Russia’s wartime election cements Putin’s grip

Kremlin tightens its hold as Russians vote — and others leave

Russia’s first parliamentary election since Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has delivered exactly what the Kremlin expected: United Russia is dominating the vote and the Kremlin is set to retain its grip on the State Duma. With around 58% of precincts counted, United Russia had almost 58% of the party-list vote, while turnout was just under 57%, according to Russia’s Central Election Commission.

Opposition squeezed out

The result was never really in doubt. The election was held in an environment where meaningful opposition to Putin’s policies had been heavily restricted. The liberal Yabloko party, which had openly criticised the war, was removed from the party-list ballot, while some anti-war politicians were imprisoned or forced into exile. Several parties also reported election violations, although those allegations could not be independently verified.

United Russia already controlled more than two-thirds of the Duma and is expected to retain overwhelming control. The Kremlin has presented the election as evidence that Russians remain united behind the country and its war effort.

But many Russians are voting from outside Russia

That message is complicated by the thousands of Russians who have left the country since the invasion and who were still able to vote abroad.

Russian exiles turned out at polling stations in countries including Armenia and Germany, with some joining anti-war demonstrations outside Russian diplomatic buildings. For many, casting a ballot was less about changing the immediate result and more about signalling opposition to Putin and the war.

The exodus has therefore become another part of the story surrounding the election: the Kremlin can demonstrate control over the parliament, but it cannot put on the ballot millions of Russians who have already chosen to leave.

A parliament shaped by the war

The election also comes as the war itself increasingly reaches into everyday Russian life. Ukraine launched a major wave of drone attacks during the final day of voting, with Russia claiming it had shot down more than 1,100 drones. The strikes came after months of attacks on Russian oil facilities and other infrastructure, adding to economic pressure and public anxiety.

For Putin, the election provides a fresh mandate to claim that Russia remains politically united behind him. But the combination of a heavily restricted opposition, Russians voting from exile and a war increasingly being felt inside Russia itself provides a rather different picture of the country behind the official election figures.

AN ORIGINAL, SOURCE: CNN. AP. EXPRESS

I wonder what odds I might have got on Putin winning?

Might have been worth a punt.