Russia Election Results 2026: Putin’s United Russia Leads With Nearly 58% As Duma Votes Counted

Russia’s ruling United Russia party was leading the country’s parliamentary election in preliminary results released on Monday, taking nearly 58% of the party-list vote with about 58% of polling stations counted, according to Russia’s Central Election Commission. Turnout was close to 57% by Sunday evening, as counting continued following three days of voting.

The election was Russia’s first parliamentary vote since President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It took place amid the continuing war, restrictions on political opposition and a major Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and surrounding areas on the final day of voting. Early results point to United Russia retaining its dominant position in the State Duma, although the final distribution of seats will depend on the completion of the count.

United Russia holds early lead

The 2026 election covers all 450 seats in Russia’s State Duma, with 225 seats decided through party-list voting and another 225 through individual constituencies.

The preliminary count showed United Russia well ahead in the party-list contest, while early results also put the party ahead in most single-member constituency races. The figures could change as votes from the remaining polling stations are counted.

Russia’s parliamentary system means that the final balance will depend not only on the party-list vote but also on the constituency results. United Russia’s performance in both parts of the contest is therefore central to determining the composition of the next Duma.

The election was held from September 18 to 20, with electronic voting available in a number of regions alongside conventional polling.

Limited space for anti-war opposition

The election was held amid restrictions on several opposition figures and parties, limiting the field of candidates competing against the Kremlin-aligned political establishment.

Russia’s Supreme Court barred the liberal Yabloko party from taking part in the nationwide party-list contest in August. Reuters described Yabloko as the only registered party openly opposing the war that had been due to participate nationally.

Yabloko was still able to field some candidates in individual constituencies, but its exclusion from the national party-list ballot meant that voters did not have an explicitly anti-war party option across the country.

The other parties competing nationally have broadly supported Putin’s policies, although they differ on some domestic issues. AP described the election as one in which the Kremlin’s main party and the other parliamentary forces broadly backed the president’s policies.

The political environment has also been shaped by the imprisonment, prosecution or exile of prominent opposition figures. Reuters reported that many Russians who left the country after the invasion were voting from abroad, with some describing their participation as a symbolic expression of opposition to Putin and the war.

Russians abroad vote against backdrop of war

Russian citizens living abroad participated in the election at polling stations in countries including Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Germany.

Reuters reported that many of those voters did not expect their ballots to change the overall result but viewed voting as a way of expressing opposition to the Kremlin and maintaining a connection with political life in Russia. Demonstrations were also held outside Russian diplomatic missions, including in Berlin.

The demonstrations also reflected divisions over the war and the political future of Russia. Reuters reported that some protesters called for the release of imprisoned critics of the Kremlin and expressed support for a more democratic political system.

Voting held in occupied Ukrainian territories

The election also included voting in territories of Ukraine that Russia claims to have annexed.

Russian authorities organised voting in parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Russia declared the four other regions part of the country in 2022, but Ukraine and most of the international community do not recognise those annexations.

The Guardian reported that Ukraine denounced the inclusion of the territories in the election and urged foreign governments and international organisations not to recognise the results. The European Union described the voting in the occupied regions as a violation of international law.

Russia has argued that the territories are part of its electoral system. The voting has nevertheless become another point of dispute between Moscow and Kyiv, with Ukraine maintaining that Russia has no legal authority to conduct elections there.

Reports of technical problems and violations

The election was also accompanied by reports of problems involving electronic voting and allegations of irregularities.

Russian authorities said their voting systems and communication networks were targeted by cyberattacks during the election. Reuters reported that Central Election Commission chair Ella Pamfilova said attacks on voting infrastructure were being repelled.

AP reported that opposition parties and their observers raised allegations including problems with access to polling stations and the handling of ballots. The reports could not all be independently verified.

Electronic voting in Moscow was another area of dispute. Authorities attributed some problems to cyberattacks, while critics questioned the reliability and transparency of the electronic system. AP reported that some opposition figures feared that technical problems could have affected voting, although there was no independent evidence establishing that the problems were deliberately caused to alter the result.

International election observation was also limited. Russia did not invite a full-scale OSCE observation mission for the election, reducing the scope for independent international monitoring.

Drone attack hits Moscow on final voting day

The election ended as Ukraine launched a major wave of drone attacks against Moscow and other parts of Russia.

Russian authorities said more than 1,000 drones were intercepted across Russia and occupied areas. AP reported that Russia’s Defence Ministry put the number at 1,110, while Reuters reported more than 1,600 intercepted drones, including 450 aimed at Moscow.

The attacks damaged the Moscow Oil Refinery and a residential building. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 450 drones had been directed at the capital. Russian officials characterised the attack as an attempt to disrupt the election.

Reuters, citing Russian authorities, reported three deaths in the wider Moscow region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the operation targeted Russian oil and logistics infrastructure.

The timing nevertheless made the attacks a significant part of the election story, highlighting how the war has increasingly affected areas far from the front line.

What happens next

The immediate focus is now on the completion of the vote count and the final allocation of the 450 Duma seats.

The preliminary results show United Russia leading the party-list vote and the single-member constituency races.

The final result will determine the composition of the State Duma after more than four years of full-scale war with Ukraine. Reuters reported that the Kremlin has sought to use the election to demonstrate domestic support for its policies, while Russians voting abroad described their participation as a way of registering dissent.