{
  "id": 8147665,
  "title": "Russians begin voting in controlled election as war drags",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/russians-begin-voting-in-controlled-election-as-war-drags-8147665",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T02:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260918/russians-begin-voting-in-controlled-election-as-war-drags"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Polling stations in Russia's Far East opened early Friday, marking the beginning of a three-day election that will see President Vladimir Putin's party secure a near-certain victory. This marks Russia's first parliamentary election since the country sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022, a conflict that has since claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.\n\nThe election is only open to parties that align with Putin and the Kremlin's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. While the outcome is widely expected, the vote serves as a gauge for public support for the war, the effects of which have intensified this year.\n\nThe Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, has 450 seats up for renewal, and the vote to elect them will continue until 6:00 PM GMT on Sunday. The Kamchatka peninsula and Chukotka, located in Russia's Pacific region, are the first of Russia's 11 time zones to cast their ballots.\n\nVladimir Putin has been Russia's leader since New Year's Eve in 1999, and his United Russia party has maintained dominance over Russian politics since then.",
  "summary": "MOSCOW—Polling stations opened early Friday in Russia's Far East, kicking off a three-day election that President Vladimir Putin's party is all but guaranteed to win in the fifth year of war with Ukraine. It will be Russia's first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has since killed hundreds of thousands. Only parties that support Putin and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Russians begin voting in controlled election as war drags",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/russians-begin-voting-in-controlled-election-as-war-drags",
        "published": "2026-09-17T21:47:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Russians begin voting in controlled election as war drags",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/russians-begin-voting-in-controlled-election-as-war-drags",
        "published": "2026-09-18T01:57:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}