Polls closed on September 20, 2026, in Russia’s first wartime parliamentary election, the first since the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin cast his ballot as a test of public support for the ongoing war.
The Kremlin has framed the vote as a demonstration of popular backing for the war and a means to legitimize its actions. It is the first parliamentary election held while Russia is engaged in a large‑scale military conflict.
Russian officials accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the voting process after Kyiv launched a large number of drones at Moscow and other regions. The drone strikes on Sunday killed at least three people in the Moscow
Article source: www.aljazeera.com | Image credit: www.aljazeera.com