It's a challenging time for Russia to hold a parliamentary election, even one whose outcome is all but assured. The economic and political climate has been seriously affected by 4 and a half years of full-fledged war with Ukraine. Swarms of enemy drones have inflicted massive damage on Russian oil refineries and logistical facilities.
The public, which no longer sees the fighting as something distant, is increasingly nervous. Read moreAt least five injured in Russian drone strikes in Kyiv region United Russia, the main Kremlin party, is poised to keep its overwhelming grip on the State Duma alongside a few other parties aligned with President Vladimir Putin. Still, authorities have tightened control over the first wartime balloting for the lower chamber of parliament since the 2022 full-scale invasion.
The Kremlin stifled even the slightest signs of dissent before three days of voting that began Friday in Russia's Far East. The only party that dared to criticise the war was unceremoniously removed from the ballot, and a few anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced to flee abroad. For the first time, the election includes residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed after the invasion.
Ukraine has called the vote illegal. With the result predetermined and Putin’s political dominance under no immediate threat, analysts say the Kremlin sees the election as a key effort to mobilise public support for the war and legitimise its action. Read morePutin urges Russians to vote in parliamentary election as show of support for Ukraine war A summer marked by Ukraine's long-range drone strikes brought the war home for millions of Russians.
The attacks exacerbated problems for the economy, which has plunged into stagnation after an initial boost from massive military spending. The government raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep the growing budget deficit under control. Strikes on Russian oil refineries sparked a severe fuel crisis that peaked in June, eased for a few weeks and then returned in August.
Adding to the pain was a series of attacks on warehouses of online retailers Wildberries and Ozon. Hundreds of thousands of individual sellers lost their merchandise, sending a shock wave through the economy. All this dampened the public mood.
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