Russia begins Duma vote to pave way for draft — The Guardian

Russia began a three-day State Duma vote on Sept. 18, its first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with polling running through Sept. 20 across Russia and occupied Ukrainian territory, per The Guardian. Ten Kremlin-approved parties appear on the ballot, none opposing the war; the anti-war Yabloko party was barred after polling showed rising support.

Analysts including Farida Rustamova and Vladimir Gelman describe a deliberately low-key campaign meant to avoid scrutiny while providing Putin's government a veneer of legitimacy. Western analysts and intelligence sources say the vote's real purpose is clearing political ground for a new mobilization wave, with reports that elite Moscow families have sent draft-age sons abroad in anticipation.

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