Russia votes on the final day of parliamentary elections, in a ballot dominated by Vladimir Putin’s party

Russians vote on Sunday, the last day of the parliamentary elections, a ballot following which the United Russia party, Vladimir Putin’s party, is expected to retain control of the State Duma. Voting, which began on Friday, ends at 21:00 Romania time, with the first results expected immediately after the polls close.

The elections are the first organized at the parliamentary level since the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. All 450 seats in the lower house of the Russian Parliament are at stake, and the vote is also taking place in the Ukrainian territories occupied and annexed by Russia.

The last day of voting was preceded by a massive drone attack on the Moscow region. Authorities announced that 249 aircraft had been shot down, two people had been killed, and a refinery in the capital had been damaged.

The anti-war opposition was excluded, while the authorized parties support Putin’s policies to varying degrees.

The European Union condemned the vote, citing “systematic and institutionalized repression.”

Turnout stood at 44.75% on Sunday morning, according to the Tass news agency.

Read also: ANALYSIS / Elections in Russia: The Kremlin puts the war in Ukraine at the center of the vote