Key facts
- Russia is holding parliamentary elections this weekend.
- The Supreme Court barred the anti-war Yabloko party from fielding national candidates.
- Yabloko's deputy chairman Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
- More than a thousand Russian veterans of the war in Ukraine are running as candidates.
- Yulia Navalnaya advocates for 'smart voting' to defeat United Russia.
Russia is holding its first parliamentary elections since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the opposition facing a significantly narrowed field due to Kremlin-imposed restrictions. The Supreme Court's decision in August to bar Yabloko, the country's only openly anti-war party, from fielding national candidates has further limited voter choices.
This move, coupled with the silencing of dissenting voices, has led some opposition figures, like Yulia Navalnaya, widow of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, to urge Russians to vote for candidates perceived as neutral on the war. However, other opponents argue this strategy lends credibility to elections they deem a "sham" designed to legitimize President Vladimir Putin's war and consolidate his control over Russian society.
Political scientist Ivan Preobrazhensky suggests that by removing anti-war candidates and promoting pro-war voices, Moscow aims to inflate public support for the invasion. He noted that voters effectively endorse government policies by electing pro-Kremlin candidates, even without genuine alternatives.
Maxim Reznik, a former Yabloko leader, stated that the Kremlin previously considered the party "politically dead" with minimal support. However, recent reports indicated a potential boost in Yabloko's electoral support due to its "only peace party" positioning and advocacy for a ceasefire. Despite this, Yabloko's deputy chairman Lev Shlosberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "discrediting" the army, and the party's registration was subsequently canceled.
Maxim Katz, a former municipal councilor now in exile, expressed disillusionment, stating, "There are no decent parties left." He observed that the remaining parties are largely echoing pro-war rhetoric.
Ten parties are participating in the elections, including Putin's United Russia, the Communist Party, the nationalist Liberal-Democratic Party, Fair Russia, and New People. These parties have unanimously backed the annexation of Ukrainian regions and echoed pro-war sentiment. The Kremlin has also promoted over a thousand war veterans as candidates, including Eduard Shonov, who allegedly served in a brigade implicated in the Bucha massacre.
Recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian cities have heightened fears and caused fuel shortages, making the war a tangible reality for many Russians. Navalnaya described the elections as a "propagandistic exercise" and urged the anti-war majority to use the vote as a last opportunity to express protest.
Navalnaya and Katz advocate for "smart voting," a strategy pioneered by Alexey Navalny, to defeat United Russia by supporting anti-war candidates. This approach has drawn criticism from some opposition members, including Yabloko head Nikolay Rybakov, who argues that voting for parties already in parliament supports those who imprison Yabloko members. Reznik also expressed skepticism, believing the results are predetermined by the Kremlin.