This Duma vote is pure theater, not democracy — United Russia's majority was decided long before any ballot was cast. Banning Yabloko, the one anti-war party gaining traction with young Russians, exposes a Kremlin terrified of what a real vote on the war would reveal. With fuel lines, 14% interest rates and casualties near 1.5 million, the harder the fraud works, the weaker Putin looks.
Russians know exactly what the country is fighting for, and casting a ballot is a collective act of unity behind the soldiers at the front. Brussels and its hired emigre operatives were alleged to be plotting cyberattacks, polling station provocations and fake exit polls to smear the vote before a single ballot was counted. No amount of Western sabotage will stop Russian citizens from making their own choice.
There is a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will cease to hold the office of President of Russia by 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 7.4.1