United Russia confirms itself as the country’s leading party and maintains control of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament. According to the exit polls released at the end of three days of voting, the group supporting Vladimir Putin obtained around half of the votes.
The first findings give percentages close to 50% for the Russian president’s party. These are still estimates, awaiting the official results and the consequent assignment of the 450 seats in the Duma.
However, the figure appears very close to that of the previous parliamentary elections in 2021, when United Russia received 49.8% of the votes and won 324 deputies. Thanks also to the victories obtained in the single-member constituencies, the party had managed to secure a majority of more than two-thirds of the assembly, enough to approve constitutional changes without the support of other political forces.
United Russia’s electoral campaign was led directly by Putin and took place while the conflict with Ukraine continues to influence the political and economic life of the country. The vote also affected the Ukrainian territories occupied and annexed unilaterally by Moscow, consultations that Kiev and the international community do not recognize as legitimate.
The promise of retaliation against Kiev
The war itself marked the last day of the elections. Ukraine led one of the most vast offensives with drones and missiles in Russian territory since the beginning of the conflict, also hitting the Moscow area. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the last 24 hours anti-aircraft systems shot down a total of 1,951 drones and eight long-range cruise missiles.
The ministry also claims that all Ukrainian Flamingo missiles aimed at the capital region were intercepted before they could reach what Moscow says are civilian targets. Kiev says it is instead targeting energy, industrial and logistics infrastructure used to support the Russian war effort.
The Kremlin’s response came a few hours after the polls closed. The Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces will “intensify attacks against military targets in Kiev”, presenting the decision as a retaliation for the raids conducted to coincide with the final day of the elections.