Russia's Duma election brings record turnout and United Russia landslide — Kremlin sources admit 'very dirty means'
United Russia won roughly 58% of the vote in Russia's State Duma election with the highest turnout since 2011, but sources close to the Kremlin told Meduza the results were secured through pressure and forced voting.
With 93% of precincts counted, Russia's ruling United Russia party won about 58% of the vote in the State Duma election. The Communist Party (KPRF) placed second with roughly 14%, LDPR came third with 9%, and New People took fourth with 8%. A Just Russia only cleared the 5% threshold needed for parliament after a midday announcement from the Central Election Commission.
Official turnout reached 59.32%, the highest since 2011, when it hit 60.21%.
Pressure on voters
Meduza sources say the Presidential Administration's political bloc had instructed state corporations and budget-funded institutions to intensify "corporate mobilization," appointing staff to track colleagues' voting. At one Moscow state institution, names of employees who hadn't voted appeared in a group chat monitored by managers. In Yakutsk, teachers had to report every two hours on whether students' parents had voted, while in Altai Krai the KPRF said authorities pressured budget employees to vote under threat of dismissal.
Political scientist Alexander Kynev found that 19 regions, including occupied Crimea and Ukraine's occupied territories, recorded turnout above 70%, while Irkutsk region had the lowest at 36%.
'Dirty means' and party results
A strategist working with the Presidential Administration told Meduza the turnout record was achieved "through very dirty means" and that a more modest figure would have drawn fewer complaints. United Russia won at least 208 of 225 single-member districts. The Kremlin also sought to get war veterans into the Duma — 86 so-called "SVO veterans" reportedly won seats, though at least 21 already had ties to the political elite.
KPRF's result fell five percentage points from 2021 after the party was pressured to withdraw several popular candidates. None of the antiwar candidates backed by the opposition's "Smart Voting" strategy won seats.
