Elections to the State Duma have begun in Russia, with…

Elections to the State Duma have begun in Russia, with voting also taking place in occupied territories

18.09.2026 12:09 HotInfo

Russia's three-day elections to the State Duma, the lower chamber of parliament, began on Friday. Voting takes place from September 18 to 20, with voters deciding on the composition of all 450 seats. The first polling stations opened in Russia's Far East. svet.sme.sk ↗

This is the first parliamentary election in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Voting is also taking place in occupied Ukrainian territories, in some cases accompanied by armed soldiers. Russia has also opened polling stations along the border with Poland. STVR (Spravy) ↗

The election was accompanied by a fierce pre-election campaign. Analyst Pavel Havlíček from the Association for International Affairs described it primarily as a tool for legitimizing the Russian presidential regime. According to his assessment, the Kremlin is feeling nervous in connection with the election. However, the outcome of the vote is not expected to be a surprise. zurnal.pravda.sk ↗

The start of the election was also accompanied by Ukrainian drone attacks directed at Moscow. The mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, said that Russian forces destroyed dozens of drones. The attacks took place at the time voting began in the country and as polling stations gradually opened across the different time zones. hnonline.sk ↗

Voting will continue until Sunday evening. The election is meant to determine the composition of the State Duma for the next term, taking place against the backdrop of the ongoing war and voting in territories occupied by Russia. teraz.sk ↗

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