{
  "id": 7961680,
  "title": "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",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/russias-first-parliamentary-election-since-the-full-scale-invasion-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-17T05:40:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/09/17/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"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nTo 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.",
  "summary": "Voting for a new Russian parliament begins tomorrow. The State Duma elections will run for three days, from September 18 to 20. This will be the first Duma election since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine. But the candidates are largely the same: More than 70% of current lawmakers are seeking another term. Voters will elect 450 State Duma members: 225 through party-list voting…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Russia employs North Koreans to build drones for Ukraine war: report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/russia-employs-north-koreans-to-build-drones-for-ukraine-war-report",
        "published": "2026-09-17T06:37:36.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Kyiv Independent",
        "title": "General Staff: Russia has lost 1,513,490 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/general-staff-russia-has-lost-1-513-490-troops-in-ukraine-since-feb",
        "published": "2026-09-17T06:43:59.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}