General
Russians Vote for Duma, but Voters Have Little Choice
Russian voters are electing the State Duma over three days, with annexed Ukrainian territories participating for the first time. President Vladimir Putin urged turnout to secure a victory for United Russia, aiming to demonstrate support for the war in Ukraine despite widespread fraud and lack of independent oversight. The liberal opposition party Yabloko was excluded from the ballot by the Supreme Court after gaining popularity, though its founder Grigori Yavlinski claims it could have won 25 percent. Opposition supporters are encouraged to vote at noon to show dissent against Kremlin policies.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's