Russia election results show Putin’s party winning: What we know

Early results emerging from Russia’s first parliamentary elections since the launch of the full-fledged war on Ukraine show President Vladimir Putin’s party dominating the vote — an outcome widely predicted. The election, which began on Friday and ended on Sunday to elect members of the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, is projected to see Putin’s United Russia maintain its hold amid a tightly controlled election in which opposition to the president’s policies remains limited. Despite the lack of alternatives to United Russia, the Kremlin had positioned the vote as a chance for residents to have their say since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and amid economic hardship. Most antiwar candidates have been barred from the ballot.