United Russia dominates Duma vote as Ukraine hits Russia with record drones
Early results show United Russia dominating Russia's tightly controlled Duma election as Ukraine launches a record drone attack, after the US imposed new sanctions on Moscow.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Russia's ruling party dominates wartime Duma election
Russia's ruling United Russia party has dominated the country's parliamentary elections, early results show, in a vote critics have called neither free nor fair. This was the first election to the State Duma since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and voting took place over three days. With more than 90% of votes counted, state media reported that United Russia had won more than 57% of the vote, with turnout put at 56.6%. Both figures were higher than in 2021. In Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov was re-elected with 99.85% of the vote.
A tightly controlled ballot
Ten parties were allowed on the ballot, but none opposed President Vladimir Putin or the war. The Communist Party, often described as the official opposition, sent aid convoys to the front and collected donations for troops. The only party publicly calling for peace, Yabloko, was removed from the party list by the Supreme Court. Some Yabloko candidates still stood in individual constituencies, but many faced police questioning, court cases or bans. The party said 10,000 people had applied to join after the ban.
Critics, including the European Union, described the poll as a sham. Analysts said the system is a managed democracy where the Kremlin controls the political process. The Kremlin is expected to use the result to claim that the country is united behind Putin and the war, despite opinion polls suggesting around two-thirds of Russians want peace talks. The war is increasingly visible inside Russia, with long-range Ukrainian drone attacks bringing the conflict closer to Moscow.
Final day overshadowed by drone attack
The final day of voting was overshadowed by a huge Ukrainian drone attack. Russia's Ministry of Defence said nearly 2,000 drones were launched into Russian territory over 24 hours, a record number. Some reached Moscow, where an oil refinery was hit and plumes of smoke rose over the city. Two people were killed when a drone hit an apartment block. Moscow accused Kyiv of trying to disrupt the vote. Earlier, officials organised voting in occupied parts of Ukraine.
US sanctions and opposition reaction
The United States imposed new sanctions on Russia as the election got under way. The measures targeted both officials and the economy and were intended to starve Putin of resources for his invasion of Ukraine. Putin cast his vote online and appeared pleased with the process. Opposition figures said the election was a ritual. Vladimir Kara-Murza, a former political prisoner, said Putin means dictatorship and war, and that real change is inevitable. Former diplomat Boris Bondarev called the vote a political ritual that did not reflect Russian society. Stanford's Sergei Sanovich said the elections were fake and that repression was increasing.
Separately, Russian forces launched a massive overnight attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, destroying an historic building at the National University, a city centre shopping mall and several apartment buildings. President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to meet Donald Trump on the fringes of the UN meeting in New York.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One | Channel 4 | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None of the 10 parties allowed onto the ballot criticised President Putin or the war in Ukraine. | ||||
| The Supreme Court barred the anti-war party Yabloko from the ballot. | ||||
| United Russia was expected to win or dominate the election, with other Duma parties expected to support the Kremlin. | · | |||
| United Russia was expected to win or dominate the election, with turnout reported at almost 57 per cent. | · | |||
| United Russia was leading in the polls. | · | |||
| Voting was scheduled to begin for Russia's first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, spanning three days. | · | |||
| Critics and the EU said the election was neither free nor fair, with the EU accusing the Kremlin of repression, and an analyst described the system as managed rather than democratic. | · | · | ||
| The Kremlin is expected to use the election to claim national unity behind President Putin's policies. | · | · | ||
| The Russian political system is often described as a managed democracy, with the Kremlin doing the managing. | · | · | ||
| The war was reported to have come home to Russia with drone attacks. | · | · | ||
| United Russia was leading the Russian parliamentary election, with more than 57% of votes counted. | · | · | ||
| In the last Duma, all parties voted unanimously for 170 laws supporting the special military operation. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West used its Moscow correspondent's set-piece report to explain how the election works under managed democracy. It stressed that the ten permitted parties are hard to tell apart, none criticise Putin or the war, and the anti-war party Yabloko was removed from the ballot. The tone was sceptical and explanatory, with ordinary voters saying they want peace.
- “Critics have dismissed the vote as neither free nor transparent.”
- “None of them criticised President Putin or the war in Ukraine.”
- “Yabloko was on the ballot until the Supreme Court removed it from the party list.”
BBC News mixed correspondent reports with studio interviews and expert analysis. It focused on the EU's criticism, the barring of anti-war candidates, the mechanics of managed democracy, and whether the result can tell us anything about public mood and future mobilisation. It also gave voice to exiled opposition figures and former diplomats who called the vote fake or a ritual.
- “These elections are fake, obviously.”
- “The European Union has criticised the poll, accusing the Kremlin of using repression to deprive voters of a genuine choice about the future of their country.”
- “Anti-war candidates, for example, aren't allowed to stand.”
Channel 4 took a more atmospheric, people-focused approach. It followed young Muscovites, communist nostalgia events and a street musician to show apathy, resignation and silent dissent, while noting that United Russia's victory was preordained and the only anti-war party was banned. Its later summary added preliminary results, Kadyrov's re-election and a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia.
- “Putin is not on the ballot, he's not even on the posters. He is nowhere and everywhere.”
- “The only anti-war party has been banned while candidates deemed to have undesirable opinions have been disqualified or jailed.”
- “It won't make much of a difference, but he wants his voice to be heard, however muffled.”
Sky News was the only channel to lead on the new US sanctions, framing them as an attempt to starve Putin of resources. It paired that with live pictures from Moscow polling stations, an interview with opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, and later reported the scale of United Russia's win and the record Ukrainian drone attack on the final day.
- “The United States has imposed new sanctions on Russia, they say targeting both officials and the economy in an attempt to try and starve Putin of resources that he needs for his invasion of Ukraine”
- “Putin means dictatorship, Putin means war and for as long as he is in power this war is not going to stop”
- “In Moscow, they woke up to war on their doorstep”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.