Early returns in Russia’s parliamentary election show main Kremlin party leading
Early results from Russia's parliamentary election indicate that the Kremlin-backed United Russia party is maintaining its dominance. The election took place amidst significant political crackdowns and included contested territories in Ukraine.
Why it matters
The election results reinforce President Putin's control over the Russian state and highlight the ongoing geopolitical tensions regarding annexed Ukrainian regions.
Early results from Russia's first wartime parliamentary election , released by the country's election commission early Monday (September 21, 2026), showed the main Kremlin party dominating the vote.
The tightly controlled balloting was virtually devoid of opposition to President Vladimir Putin's policies and all but certain to cement the Kremlin's dominance.
With some 58% of the precincts counted, United Russia had nearly 58% of the vote for the 225 deputies apportioned by party lists, according to the Central Election Commission.
Another 225 lawmakers will be chosen in single-seat races, and United Russia also was poised to win most of those.
Also covering this story
2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in