Russia’s first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine begins tomorrow, with its only anti-war party barred and genuine competition all but eliminated

Voting for a new Russian parliament begins tomorrow, marking the first Duma election since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With more than 70% of current lawmakers seeking re-election, genuine competition appears largely eliminated. All 450 State Duma members will be elected through either party-list voting or single-member districts. Pro-government polls suggest United Russia's support has increased compared to the 2021 election, with predictions of winning 47-53% of the vote.

The only anti-war party, Yabloko, was barred from the election after being disqualifed by the Supreme Court and its candidates removed from single-member districts. Other strong challengers to United Russia candidates were also disqualified in some regions.

To combat the lack of competition, various protest-voting strategies have been proposed by different opposition groups. Yabloko is encouraging supporters to spoil their ballots in the party-list vote and vote for Yabloko candidates where possible in single-member districts. Maxim Katz and Yulia Navalnaya suggest voting against United Russia, while Yabloko has criticized this approach.

The Russian Anti-War Committee recommends not voting for anyone supporting the war, while Garry Kasparov calls for a boycott, urging people to stay home and protest the elections.