Election in Russia: No Real Opposition Amid War and Occupation

WHO:

Euronews - An unnamed European diplomat described the elections as "pretty much a sham" and a "ritual the Kremlin considers necessary."

Euronews - Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre stated, "They have put so much effort into persuading Russians not to worry about this."

ABC News - Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator of the Donbas SOS human rights group, stated that members of local election commissions were going house to house, escorted by Russian troops and security agents, to force people to vote.

Euronews - President Vladimir Putin has been in power for 26 years.

Euronews - The ruling United Russia party, the Communist Party, A Just Russia, the nationalist LDPR, and New People are on the ballot.

Euronews - Yabloko is Russia's only publicly anti-war party still operating inside the country.

Euronews - Nikolai Petrov is a Russian political scientist and Head of Analysis of Transformation Processes at the NEST Centre.

Euronews - Tatiana Stanovaya is from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre.

Euronews - Alexei Navalny was a prominent political opponent who died in a Russian penal colony in 2024.

Euronews - Yulia Navalnaya is Navalny's widow.

WHAT:

NBC News - Voting in the annexed parts of Ukraine and some areas on the Russian side of the border began at the end of the previous month, citing security reasons for the extended period.

ABC News - Authorities claim that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia territories have over 3.5 million voters.

ABC News - Russian authorities are threatening public sector employees with dismissal if they fail to vote and making pensions and other social payments conditional on participating.

Euronews - The election will also choose deputies to regional legislatures in 39 federal subjects.

Euronews - Half of the 450 Duma seats will be allocated through nationwide party lists and the other half through single-member constituencies.

NBC News - Voting is taking place in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.

ABC News - Russian authorities claim that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia territories have over 3.5 million voters.

Fox News - At one polling station in the Russian-held part of the Donetsk region, voters dropped their ballots in a box as an armed Russian soldier stood nearby and watched.

ABC News - Russia's parliamentary election is being held for the first time in regions that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine after the start of its full-scale invasion more than 4 1/2 years ago.

ABC News - Russian authorities claim that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia territories have over 3.5 million voters.

ABC News - Voting in the annexed parts of Ukraine and some areas on the Russian side of the border began at the end of the previous month, citing security reasons for the extended period.

NBC News - The elections are described as the first parliamentary elections since the war in Ukraine began.

Euronews - The election is described as Russia's first wartime parliamentary election since the war in Ukraine began.

Fox News - Accusations of armed voter intimidation have been reported during the elections in occupied regions.

NBC News - The elections are taking place amid significant criticism of the electoral process from opponents of President Putin.

Euronews - The election will also choose deputies to regional legislatures in 39 federal subjects.

Euronews - Voters will choose eight of the 11 regional heads directly, while regional parliaments will elect the remaining three.

Euronews - Independent Russian media have counted 17 official denials of an imminent mobilisation.

Euronews - Russia called up 300,000 reservists in the autumn of 2022, triggering significant public alarm and a mass departure of men of fighting age from the country.

Euronews - Voting began in a tightly controlled three-day election.

Euronews - The election will fill 450 State Duma seats and the governorships of 11 federal regions.

Euronews - The election will also choose deputies to regional legislatures in 39 federal subjects.

Euronews - Almost 200 candidates in these elections have participated in Russia's war in Ukraine.

Fox News - Russian State Duma elections will be held in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

Euronews - Independent observers have documented the use of state resources to influence results.

WHERE:

Euronews - Voting is taking place in parts of Ukraine occupied by Moscow's troops.

Euronews - Polling stations have been opened at Russian border crossings with Poland and the three Baltic states.

Euronews - The elections are occurring in Saint Petersburg and Moscow.

WHEN:

Euronews - The election runs from 18 to 20 September 2026.

WHY:

ABC News - A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups urged residents of the Russia-held territories to stay away from the polls, stating that the elections are an attempt to legitimize the Russian occupation.

ABC News - Authorities in Kyiv denounced the voting in those territories as illegal and warned Ukrainians that participating in organizing the vote could carry criminal liability.

Euronews - Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre stated she considered a new draft unlikely, saying, "They have put so much effort into persuading Russians not to worry about this."

Euronews - An unnamed European diplomat described the elections as "pretty much a sham" and a "ritual the Kremlin considers necessary."

Euronews - Putin urged Russians to vote to show support for troops and deliver an "answer to those who want to weaken Russia."

Euronews - Fears of military mobilization overshadow the vote, despite Putin denying plans for a call-up.

HOW:

Euronews - Independent observers have documented the use of state resources to influence results, including bussing voters to polling stations and pressuring employees of state institutions to vote for the ruling party.

NBC News - Members of local election commissions were reported to be going house to house, escorted by Russian troops and security agents, to force people to vote.

NBC News - Moscow-appointed authorities exert pressure on residents, threatening those who work in the public sector with dismissal if they fail to vote and making pensions and other social payments conditional on participating.

ABC News - Members of local election commissions were reported to be going house to house, escorted by Russian troops and security agents, to force people to vote.

Euronews - Independent observers have documented the use of online voting as a method that is easier to monitor and control.

Euronews - The Kremlin has promoted candidates as part of Russia's "true elite," primarily as a recruitment tool to boost Moscow's troops on the front lines.

Euronews - The Kremlin has promoted candidates as part of Russia's "true elite" and used them as a recruitment tool.

Euronews - State resources have been used to influence election results, including bussing voters and pressuring state employees to vote for the ruling party.

(UPDATED September 19, 2026 09:57 UTC)

An unnamed European diplomat has described the ongoing elections in the annexed regions of Ukraine as "pretty much a sham," while Tatiana Stanovaya from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre noted the Kremlin's efforts to persuade Russians not to worry about the situation. Violeta Artemchuk, a coordinator with the Donbas SOS human rights group, reported that local election commission members, accompanied by Russian troops, are going door-to-door to coerce residents into voting, amid threats from authorities about job security and social payments. A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups has called on residents in these territories to boycott the polls, arguing that the elections are merely a tactic to legitimize the Russian occupation.

(UPDATED September 19, 2026 07:03 UTC)

Voting is currently underway in Russia, where the election will select deputies for regional legislatures across 39 federal subjects and allocate half of the 450 Duma seats through nationwide party lists and the other half through single-member constituencies. In the Russian-held territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, authorities claim there are over 3.5 million voters, but Kyiv has condemned the voting as illegal, warning that participation could lead to criminal charges. Reports indicate that local election commissions, accompanied by armed Russian soldiers, are going door-to-door to pressure residents into voting, with threats of job loss for public sector workers and conditional social payments for those who do not participate.

(UPDATED September 19, 2026 05:57 UTC)

Russia is holding its parliamentary elections for the first time in regions it illegally annexed from Ukraine during the ongoing conflict, with authorities claiming over 3.5 million voters in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia territories. Voting in these areas began at the end of last month, with local election commissions reportedly going door-to-door, accompanied by Russian troops, to ensure participation. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities have condemned the elections as illegal and warned that organizing the vote could lead to criminal charges, while a coalition of human rights groups has urged residents to avoid the polls, calling the elections a move to legitimize the Russian occupation.

(UPDATED September 18, 2026 19:00 UTC)

Russia is holding its first wartime parliamentary election since the conflict in Ukraine began, amid significant criticism of the electoral process from opponents of President Putin. Reports of armed voter intimidation have surfaced in occupied regions, raising concerns about the integrity of the elections. Independent observers have noted that online voting is being used, a method that is easier to monitor and control.

(UPDATED September 18, 2026 17:02 UTC)

In a significant upcoming election, voters in Russia will select deputies to regional legislatures across 39 federal subjects, with eight of the eleven regional heads being chosen directly by the public. Amid concerns over military mobilization, independent Russian media have reported 17 official denials of any imminent draft, despite the Kremlin's previous call-up of 300,000 reservists in the autumn of 2022, which caused widespread alarm and a mass exodus of men of fighting age. Analysts like Tatiana Stanovaya from the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre believe a new draft is unlikely, as the Kremlin has invested considerable effort in reassuring citizens not to worry about such measures.

(UPDATED September 18, 2026 16:04 UTC)

Voting has begun in a tightly controlled three-day election in Russia, where citizens will fill 450 State Duma seats and governorships in 11 federal regions, as well as deputies to regional legislatures in 39 federal subjects. The elections are taking place in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops, along with polling stations set up at border crossings with Poland and the Baltic states, while independent observers have reported the use of state resources to sway the results. President Putin has urged Russians to vote as a show of support for the military, despite an unnamed European diplomat labeling the elections as "pretty much a sham" and a necessary ritual for the Kremlin.