United Russia leads State Duma elections — CBC World
In Russia — an aggressor state — the ruling United Russia party is confidently leading the State Duma elections, according to preliminary official results. After part of the votes had been counted, it had received 57.5%. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the vote a test of support for the war against Ukraine.
As CBC World reports, the Communists, the ultranationalist LDPR, the New People party and A Just Russia were significantly trailing but could win seats in the lower house of the Russian parliament. According to the outlet, these political forces vote the same way as United Russia on key issues.
Drone attack during voting
The vote took place amid a massive drone attack on Moscow and other Russian regions. Russian officials accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt the elections. According to the regional governor and the election commission, three people were killed in Moscow Oblast, while two more were killed in the part of Ukraine's Kherson Oblast temporarily occupied by Russia; an election commission employee was among the dead.
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In Moscow, a facility at an oil refinery was also damaged. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the attack was allegedly planned to disrupt the vote. Russia's Ministry of Defense claims that over the past day it shot down nearly 2,000 Ukrainian drones and eight cruise missiles, and also announced its intention to intensify strikes on Ukrainian military targets.
Opposition candidates and turnout
Russian electoral authorities also reported cyberattacks on voting systems while describing the course of the elections as largely uninterrupted. By the evening Moscow time, turnout had reached nearly 57%, according to Russia's Central Election Commission.
Most candidates who opposed the war were barred from participating in the elections. Representatives of the liberal Yabloko party said they feared for their freedom after two senior party figures were sentenced over statements about the war. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov spoiled his ballot by writing the party's name and the slogan “For Peace” on it. Kyiv called the Russian vote “pseudo-elections.”
