As United Russia's Duma Win Looks Certain, Some Russians Still Resist

As Russia heads into this weekend's State Duma elections, most observers expect a clear sweep for the ruling United Russia party and its allies. Still, some citizens are choosing to push back through election observation and organized voting tactics meant to express distrust in the system.

Experts describe this as Russia's most restricted parliamentary election yet, with the Kremlin having sidelined nearly all genuine opposition figures. President Vladimir Putin is framing the vote as something of a referendum on the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, at a time when United Russia's public approval is among its lowest since the full-scale invasion began. In August, Russia's Supreme Court removed Yabloko, the only party running on a peace platform, from the party-list ballot.

Local pushback efforts

In the Vologda region, feminist activists are targeting United Russia candidate Natalia Moskvitina, who leads an anti-abortion group. After failing to get her removed from the party list, they are now urging voters to support any other party to reduce United Russia's regional vote share and knock her off the list.

Another initiative, "Noon for Peaceful Russia," calls on voters to arrive at polling stations simultaneously at noon on Sept. 20, aiming to create visible lines that signal opposition to the war. Exiled opposition figures Yulia Navalnaya and Maxim Katz are urging Russians to vote for any party other than United Russia, though the strategy remains controversial since other parties largely back Kremlin policy. Separately, the group "Vote Abroad" is organizing exit polls in roughly 40 cities worldwide to help document possible fraud.

Many anti-war Russians, however, remain skeptical that any of these efforts can make a real difference, believing their votes carry little weight in shaping Russia's political direction.