Nominating Ukraine war veterans as candidates will revitalize Russia's legislature

An ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that was sparked with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022, resulting in widespread casualties, displacement and significant geopolitical consequences for Europe and the world.

U.S. campaigns, voting, and the people running for office.

Russia began a three-day election for all 450 seats in the State Duma on 18 September 2026, its first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin presented participation as evidence of national unity and support for the war, while the ruling United Russia party was expected to retain control after most anti-war candidates were excluded. Russia also organised voting in Crimea and the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Ukrainian territories whose annexation is not internationally recognised. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attempting to disrupt the election through attacks in occupied areas, while Ukraine denounced the process as an illegitimate “pseudo-election”. Final results were not available when voting began.