Key Takeaway: Russia released full results from its first wartime parliamentary election, showing United Russia won a record majority of Duma seats and further consolidated Kremlin control. Turnout was nearly 60% of 111 million eligible voters after authorities extended voting and allowed online ballots. The vote included residents of four annexed Ukrainian regions and Crimea and occurred amid large-scale Ukrainian drone strikes that officials say caused civilian casualties and damage.
Russia’s Wartime Vote Confirms Kremlin Grip as United Russia Wins Over Three-Quarters of Duma
Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, center, reports the official results of Russia's parliamentary elections at the commission's meeting in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Russian authorities on Friday published the full results of the country’s first wartime parliamentary election, a tally that further cements the Kremlin’s political dominance.
The three-day balloting concluded on Sunday. According to the Central Election Commission, the main Kremlin-aligned party, United Russia, will hold 349 of the State Duma’s 450 seats — a record share — following a tightly managed vote that excluded virtually any genuine opposition.
The official results of Russia's parliamentary elections are seen on the screen during the Central Election Commission meeting in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Turnout, Voting Changes and Contested Regions
Nearly 60% of the 111 million eligible voters participated, the highest turnout in more than a decade for a parliamentary contest. Authorities extended voting over three days and permitted online ballots in some regions to boost participation.
The election was the first since President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the first to include residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow seized and later annexed. Voting also took place in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014; Kyiv denounced voting in those territories as illegal.
Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, applauds after reporting the official results of Russia's parliamentary elections at the commission's meeting in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Results and Political Context
Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova said United Russia polled just under 58% on party lists for the 225 seats allocated by parties and won 209 single-mandate districts that fill the other half of the chamber. Several smaller parties described as the “systemic opposition,” which typically back Kremlin positions on major issues, took 97 seats; four independents filled the remaining seats.
United Russia and allied parties said they placed dozens of veterans of the Ukraine war on their candidate lists. The liberal Yabloko party — the only registered political force that publicly criticized the war — was removed from the ballot last month by Russia’s Supreme Court; it fielded only a handful of single-seat candidates and failed to win any seats.
Security Situation During the Vote
The election unfolded amid persistent Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported shooting down 1,110 drones overnight on Sunday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some 450 drones were downed while approaching the city in what he called the "largest ever" attack on the capital, which officials said damaged an oil refinery and a residential building, killed three people and injured 38 in the wider Moscow region.
Pamfilova added that six polling workers were killed in attacks and that 75 polling stations were damaged or destroyed by shelling during the voting period.
Outlook: With the new Duma composition, Kremlin-aligned policies are likely to proceed unimpeded. Observers and opposition activists criticized the election’s fairness and the exclusion of dissenting voices.
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