The podium is empty, the opposition doesn't exist, and the war continues - Russia goes to vote

Russia heads to three days of voting in the first parliamentary elections since the invasion of Ukraine, with no significant opposition and amid Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russia. The ruling United Russia party is expected to maintain its majority, but the Kremlin attaches importance to voter turnout and presenting broad public support for Putin's policies and the war.

Russia heads to three days of voting in the first elections to the Duma, the Russian parliament, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago. The elections are held without significant opposition: the Yabloko party, the only registered party that presented a clear anti-war line, was removed after the Supreme Court disqualified its participation. The parties running against United Russia are mainly 'systemic opposition' parties – the Communist, Liberal Democratic, and A Just Russia – all of which largely support Putin's line and the war. The ruling party holds more than two-thirds of the seats and is expected to maintain its overwhelming majority. The Kremlin attaches importance to voter turnout and presenting a broad public consensus as support for the president's policies and the war. Ukrainian drone strikes hit oil refineries and logistics facilities deep inside Russia, and fuel shortages are felt in various regions. The elections also include residents in Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, as well as Crimea. Ukraine has declared the holding of elections in these territories illegal. A symbolic moment occurred in the studio of state television Russia-1, where presenter Yelizaveta Dorokhina sat in front of three empty podiums – all six candidates in the Ryazan constituency did not show up for the televised debate.