Russia heads into Duma election expected to cement Kremlin control

Russia is voting in a parliamentary election expected to return a Duma dominated by United Russia and lawmakers loyal to President Vladimir Putin. The vote is for 450 deputies to the lower house of parliament and is taking place against the backdrop of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Russia has its own political system and political process, underscoring the authorities' confidence that the result will bring few surprises.

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Officials say nearly 200 war veterans are standing in the election, a sign that the Kremlin is using the contest to promote soldiers who have returned from Ukraine. The election is also the first parliamentary vote since the invasion began, giving it added symbolic weight for the Russian leadership. Critics have dismissed the process as neither free nor fair, but the Kremlin has signalled that such criticism will not alter its approach.

The campaign has offered a glimpse of political life in Russia four and a half years into the war. In one televised district event, an anchor introduced campaign speeches only for the studio to reveal six empty lecterns, after which the host said the candidates had not turned up. In another debate, a candidate sang part of his pitch, reflecting the tightly managed and often highly staged nature of the contest.

The election matters to the Kremlin because it is being used to reinforce the message that most Russians support both Mr Putin and the war. It also appears designed to preserve the political order that has characterised the current Duma, where parties have largely voted in step with the presidency. That makes the vote less about competition for power and more about demonstrating continuity and loyalty at a time of war.

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The broader context is Russia's system of what critics call managed democracy, in which the presidency holds extensive powers and parliamentary politics are tightly controlled. In that system, the Duma is not expected to act as a check on the executive in the way legislatures do in many other countries. Instead, it has functioned as a mechanism for endorsing Kremlin policy, including measures linked to the war in Ukraine.

That pattern was visible in the previous parliament, where lawmakers repeatedly backed legislation supporting what Moscow calls its special military operation. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said all parties in the Duma voted in favour of 170 laws supporting the war, describing the chamber as one of complete agreement. The final session in July also saw MPs stand and applaud as the speaker of the house repeatedly called for support for Mr Putin and the war.

The current election therefore carries significance beyond the composition of the next legislature. It is being used to project political unity at home and to show that the Kremlin retains control over the public narrative around the conflict in Ukraine. The inclusion of military veterans also suggests an effort to translate wartime service into political legitimacy.

At the same time, the campaign has highlighted the limited space for genuine competition. The empty lecterns in one televised event and the highly choreographed tone of the debates suggest a process in which participation matters more than contest. That is consistent with the Kremlin's expectation of a loyal parliament and its rejection of outside criticism.

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What remains unclear is how much public engagement the vote will generate and how the new Duma will be used once the results are confirmed. The main expectation is that United Russia and allied lawmakers will continue to dominate the chamber. The key question to watch is whether the Kremlin uses the outcome to deepen its wartime political messaging and further elevate veterans into public office.

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