Russia Concludes Wartime Election, Cementing Kremlin Dominance Amid Drone Attacks

Russia concluded its first wartime parliamentary election on Sunday, a vote widely seen as preordained to ensure the dominance of President Vladimir Putin's Kremlin and demonstrate support for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The election, which began Friday, notably included residents from four Ukrainian regions annexed by Moscow after the full-scale invasion in 2022, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Kyiv and the European Union denounced the inclusion of Ukrainian territories in the vote as illegal and a violation of international law. The Kremlin, however, has sought to use the election to legitimize its actions and bolster popular support amid mounting economic pressures and escalating Ukrainian drone attacks.

Authorities encouraged online balloting among the country's 111 million eligible voters to potentially boost turnout. For the first time, the election incorporated residents of illegally annexed Ukrainian regions, areas Moscow does not fully control. Voting also took place in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

To mitigate political risks, the Kremlin has systematically suppressed dissent. A pervasive state media campaign and stringent control over the electoral process, in the absence of genuine opposition, are expected to ensure the ruling United Russia party retains its firm grip on the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.

Several smaller parties, often referred to as the "systemic opposition," which align with Putin's viewpoints on key issues, are also anticipated to maintain their presence in the Duma. The liberal Yabloko party, one of the few registered political groups to publicly criticize the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia's Supreme Court. Some anti-war politicians faced imprisonment or were compelled to flee the country in the lead-up to the campaign.

Both Yabloko and the Communist Party, which has offered criticism of some government policies but avoided direct opposition to Putin, reported that many of their designated observers were denied access to polling stations. Russia did not extend invitations to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a decision that the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly President described as a breach of Russia's commitments as a member state.

Reports of election irregularities emerged, including claims of sealed ballot boxes being opened, polling station doors left unsecured overnight, and refusals to issue paper ballots. These assertions could not be independently verified. In one instance in a Russian-held area of the Donetsk region, armed soldiers observed voters casting ballots.

Ella Pamfilova, head of Russia's Central Election Commission, stated that Moscow's electronic voting system faced cyberattacks, which she attributed to one of the participating "systemic parties." Independent Russian news outlet SotaVision reported voters encountering glitches in electronic registry systems across Moscow, with individuals being directed to vote via electronic terminals rather than receiving paper ballots.

Leonid Volkov, a close associate of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, suggested that system malfunctions could have been intentional, aimed at steering voters toward electronic balloting. He urged voters to "Demand a paper ballot!"

Amid the election's final day, Ukraine launched a significant wave of drone attacks. Russia's Defense Ministry reported shooting down over 1,100 drones across Russian territory, including over annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. In the wider Moscow region, drone attacks resulted in two fatalities and 20 injuries.

These strikes followed a summer of long-range Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries, which contributed to a widespread fuel crisis. Attacks on warehouses belonging to online retailers also exacerbated economic problems, bringing the war's impact closer to millions of Russians.