Putin's party set to retain power after Russia vote hit by cyberattacks, drones

Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party is set to secure a significant victory in Russia’s parliamentary elections, as per early results published by state media. The vote, held amidst a backdrop of cyberattacks and Ukrainian drone strikes, saw United Russia garner 57.5 percent of the vote, according to projections by the state agency TASS.

This result positions the ruling party to retain its dominant two-thirds majority in the 450-seat State Duma, enabling them to amend the constitution. United Russia faced no opposition, as the anti-war Yabloko party was removed from the ballot weeks earlier. Other parties, the Communist Party and LDPR nationalists, trailed behind with 14 and 8.7 percent of the vote respectively.

The election came in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with voting taking place in Russian-annexed Ukrainian territories. Ukraine responded to the final day of voting with a large-scale drone attack on Moscow, killing two people and causing significant damage to key infrastructure. The Russian defense ministry vowed to intensify its strikes on Kyiv in response, accusing Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the democratic will of Russian citizens.

The Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, praised the attacks, stating they had a significant impact in the Moscow region. Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have not halted the escalation of mutual strikes between the two nations.