Russia's United Russia party wins State Duma elections

The ruling United Russia party has secured a decisive victory in the Russian State Duma elections, with preliminary exit polls suggesting the party received between 49.4% and 52.8% of the vote. President Vladimir Putin characterized the results as a confirmation of the state's stability and its ability to withstand foreign aggression and threats.

Official reports indicate a significant increase in voter turnout, reaching approximately 55% to 57%, which Kremlin propaganda claims is the highest since the fall of the Soviet Union. However, the electoral process faced several disruptions. Moscow reported cyberattacks on the voting system, which caused the electronic voter registry to malfunction, preventing some commissions from issuing ballots.

Allegations of irregularities have surfaced, including video footage appearing to show a commission member adding extra ballots to a box. Additionally, the election was marked by the exclusion of Yabloko, the only party with a platform calling for an end to the ongoing war. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that voting took place under the conditions of the ongoing military operation, with 326 polling stations established in 152 countries.