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In a recent parliamentary election, Russia's ruling party, United Russia, secured 58% of the vote according to official reports. However, independent analysts estimate that the actual share without manipulation was likely around 34–35%. The discrepancy is attributed to alleged ballot stuffing and the party's heavy use of state resources.

Independent analysts reviewed data from various sources and concluded that around 18 million of the 30 million votes recorded for United Russia might have been fabricated. The method used by election analyst Sergey Shpilkin relies on the observation that large numbers of votes for a single candidate tend to inflate both their vote share and overall turnout. Shpilkin's analysis suggests that ballot stuffing far exceeding other forms of manipulation occurred during the election.

Another factor considered by analysts is the influence of state resources on the electoral process. The Central Election Commission reported a turnout of nearly 60%, higher than in the 2011 parliamentary election, which saw widespread protests. However, independent analysts believe the true turnout was closer to 40%, inflated by measures such as forcing public-sector employees to vote and ballot-box stuffing.

One of the most notable events during the election was the rescue of A Just Russia. The party was initially below the 5% threshold needed for entry into the State Duma but managed to clear it by the time 97.5% of precinct results had been processed. Analyst Boris Ovchinnikov suggests that A Just Russia would have met the threshold in a fair count, but votes allegedly stolen for United Russia depressed its result. Once the fraud was exposed, votes allegedly began being added to A Just Russia's tally instead.