Russians Begin Voting in Parliamentary Election as War With Ukraine Enters Fifth Year

Polling stations opened Friday in Russia's Far East, launching a three-day parliamentary election that President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is all but certain to win. It is Russia's first parliamentary vote since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands. Only parties backing Putin and the Kremlin's military campaign were registered to run, and Moscow has also organized voting in occupied areas of Ukraine. While few inside Russia doubt United Russia will retain its grip on the Duma alongside a handful of Putin-aligned groups, the election gives the Kremlin a chance to measure public support for the Ukraine war, whose effects have struck home more than ever this year.