Episode Details

Russia is holding parliamentary elections with little doubt about the outcome: the pro-Kremlin United Russia party is expected to retain its dominance. But with the vote taking place more than four years into the war in Ukraine, the election carries symbolic importance for President Vladimir Putin. Analysts say the Kremlin will use the result to demonstrate public support for the government and its military campaign, even as economic pressures, Ukrainian strikes inside Russia and signs of growing war fatigue test public sentiment. The podcast examines how the election is being managed, why anti-war voices have largely been excluded from the ballot, and what turnout, margins of victory and voter coercion may reveal about the state of Russian socie