Russia holds three-day State Duma parliamentary elections

State Duma elections Vladimir Putin electronic voting Russian parliament occupied territories

Russia has commenced a three-day parliamentary election, running from September 18 to 20, to elect 450 members of the State Duma. This marks the first such election since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The voting process includes regional and local elections across 39 regions and involves over 110 million eligible voters.

President Vladimir Putin participated by casting his vote through the digital electronic voting system. The use of electronic voting has drawn scrutiny from opposition groups, who have characterized it as a tool for potential manipulation. Additionally, a video of Putin's online voting went viral, with social media users noting an unactivated Windows notification on his monitor.

For the first time, voting is also being conducted in Russian-claimed occupied territories, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Ukraine and the European Union have declared these proceedings illegal and refuse to recognize the results.

The political landscape is highly controlled; the liberal Yabloko party, which opposes the war, was excluded from the national electoral list by the Supreme Court, though some of its candidates remain in individual districts. The ruling United Russia party is expected to maintain its dominance.

Entities

Central Election Commission · Ella Pamfilova · Mikhail Mishustin · Moscow · Russia · Sergey Lavrov · State Duma · Ukraine · United Russia · Vladimir Putin · Yabloko

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 4 SOURCES] The Russian Central Election Commission formalized the decision for the Duma elections. www.dayitalianews.com · gradskeinfo.rs · www.politika.rs · lat.sputnikportal.rs
[● 4 SOURCES] The election for the 450-seat State Duma is scheduled from September 18 to September 20, 2026. www.dayitalianews.com · www.agensir.it · massive.news · lat.sputnikportal.rs
[● 4 SOURCES] Voting is being conducted in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. www.dayitalianews.com · gradskeinfo.rs · www.politika.rs · lat.sputnikportal.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] The electoral system allocates 225 seats through party lists and 225 through single-mandate constituencies. www.dayitalianews.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Approximately 2.4 million people have used the remote electronic voting system (DEG). www.agensir.it · gradskeinfo.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] Vladimir Putin, Patriarch Kirill, and Sergey Lavrov used the remote electronic voting system. www.agensir.it
[● 5 SOURCES] The Yabloko party has been excluded from the election competition. www.dayitalianews.com · www.fehmarn24.de · www.kurierverlag.de · zonanews.bg · www.agensir.it
[○ 1 SOURCE] Approximately 110 million Russian citizens are eligible to vote. www.agensir.it
[○ 1 SOURCE] Opposition groups and the hacking group CikLeak have raised concerns regarding the transparency and potential for fraud in the electronic voting system. www.lasexta.com
[● 6 SOURCES] The elections for the State Duma are being held from September 18 to September 20. biznis.rs · novi.ba · www.jutarnji.hr · www.index.hr · mondo.rs · +1 more
[○ 1 SOURCE] Security measures have been heightened, including the downing of drones in parts of Russia. biznis.rs
[● 11 SOURCES] The election involves choosing 450 deputies for the lower house of parliament. biznis.rs · novi.ba · www.jutarnji.hr · www.index.hr · mondo.rs · +6 more