Russian President says parliamentary election results show public support for government policies

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 23 that the results of the parliamentary elections, held for the first time during wartime in Russia, show public support for government policies. After the three-day voting concluded on September 20, election authorities announced that with over 97 percent of the votes counted, Russia's ruling party, United Russia, is expected to win more than three-quarters of the seats in the State Duma. More than 59 percent of the 111 million eligible voters cast their ballots, marking the highest voter turnout in parliamentary elections in over a decade. Online voting was permitted in some regions, and voting also took place in some Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. According to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, opposition forces faced limitations in participating in the elections, and the opposition has alleged electoral fraud. Drone attacks from the Ukrainian side continued during the election period, with the Russian Ministry of Defense announcing that 1,110 drones were shot down on the night of September 20 alone. Ref: AP