Vladimir Putin eyes another election win as Russia votes for first time since Ukraine war

Vladimir Putin eyes another election win as Russia votes for first time since Ukraine war The next three days will primarily settle how seats are divided across the Duma, Russia's principal legislative body, as Putin eyes another election win Russians are heading to the polls in the first election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine commenced in 2022. The three-day vote will determine the seat distribution in Russia's lower house, known as the Duma. For the first time, the polls will also encompass four illegally annexed Ukrainian regions. With 111 million Russian voters casting their ballots between now and Sunday, most political analysts are in agreement that the result is already a foregone conclusion: President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party is virtually certain to triumph. The next three days will primarily settle how seats are divided across the Duma, Russia's principal legislative body. United Russia - Putin's own party - currently holds more than two-thirds of the Duma's seats. As for the opposition, there are 18 other parties in total. Of those 18, only 10 appear on the ballot and have been cherry-picked by the Kremlin. These 10 parties will neither challenge the government with opposing legislation nor voice open criticism. The majority are also unlikely to secure enough support to earn a place in Parliament. Nevertheless, Russia analyst Mark Galeotti suggests the Kremlin will ensure it "is still absolutely dominant within the Duma", though United Russia may be "allowed to slip a little" for the sake of credibility. The previous Russian election, held in 2021, was condemned for irregularities by leading independent election monitor Golos. As Russian citizens headed to the polls this weekend, anxiety in Poland continued to mount amid growing fears that the Kremlin is plotting to extend its aggression beyond Ukraine to the wider European continent. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk cautioned on Thursday that Russia is scheming to launch hybrid attacks using drones or missiles against European nations backing Ukraine, including Poland. Russia would claim the strikes were "accidental" in order to "paralyse or at least weaken the motivation of Nato countries" to come to the aid of any member state falling under attack, Mr Tusk warned in an address to the Polish parliament. "There is a real risk that drones or other types of projectiles will enter the territory of one or several countries on the eastern flank and even cause destruction," he cautioned. "The official narration will be that it's an accident and there is no reason for NATO to think about a response."