Russians vote as Ukraine war drags on for fifth year

Russians began voting Friday in a three-day parliamentary election expected to extend President Vladimir Putin's 26-year hold on power, the first such vote since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Only parties supporting Putin and the war effort were allowed to register, while Moscow also organized voting in occupied areas of Ukraine.

The European Union and a Council of Europe body condemned the vote, calling it marred by repression and outright fake. A leading opposition figure, Lev Shlosberg, was imprisoned for criticizing the war, and Putin's most prominent opponent, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison in 2024.

Voters interviewed by AFP expressed a desire for the war to end, but largely on Moscow's terms, with several citing financial stability under Putin's rule despite Western sanctions. Some Russians fear a new mobilization drive may follow the election, an allegation Ukraine's president has made and Putin has denied.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.