Putin Tightens Grip on Russia as United Russia Wins Wartime Election With 355 Seats

September 21, 2026

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has secured a dominant victory in the country’s three-day parliamentary elections, winning 355 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, according to preliminary results announced by Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova on Monday.

The result gives United Russia a constitutional supermajority in the lower house of Russia’s Federal Assembly, allowing the party to pass legislation and amend the Constitution without requiring support from other parties.

The election was the first parliamentary vote in Russia since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Putin had framed the election as a test of support for Russia’s war effort.

United Russia Secures Constitutional Majority

United Russia received 57.83 per cent of the vote, compared with 49.8 per cent in the 2021 parliamentary elections. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, the party was projected to win 355 of the 450 Duma seats, exceeding its previous record of 343 seats in 2016.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Pamfilova said voter turnout was more than 59 per cent and praised voters for participating despite what she described as the country’s difficult circumstances.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the result reflected what he described as a high level of consolidation in Russian society around Putin.

The Communist Party of the Russian Federation emerged as the second-largest party with 40 seats and 13.8 per cent of the vote. The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) won 25 seats with 8.99 per cent, while the New People party secured 20 seats with 7.96 per cent.

First Parliamentary Election During Ukraine War

The election took place against the backdrop of the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict and escalating attacks between the two sides.

Russia’s ruling party had presented the election as a measure of support for Putin and his policies during the war. At the same time, international and independent reports noted restrictions on opposition participation and a tightly controlled political environment.

The only registered anti-war party, Yabloko, failed to secure seats in the State Duma. Several opposition figures and organisations were also prevented from participating or faced restrictions during the election campaign.

Ukraine War Escalates Amid Russian Election

The election results came as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continued to intensify.

Ukraine launched what Russian officials described as its largest drone attack on Moscow and surrounding areas on Sunday, with Russian authorities saying more than 1,600 drones were intercepted, including around 450 targeting Moscow.

Russia subsequently said it would intensify strikes against Ukrainian targets. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said Russia has shown no signs of de-escalation and urged Western countries to increase support for Kyiv.

The latest election results are therefore being viewed in the context of the ongoing war, with Putin’s party retaining a strong parliamentary majority while the conflict enters another year.