The New Indian Express ·
Russia to hold tightly controlled vote in fifth year of war
MOSCOW: Russia will this week hold tightly-controlled elections in a vote seen by the Kremlin as a barometer of public opinion on the war with Ukraine, which is dragging through its fifth year.
Some Russians have grown weary of economic stagnation and intensifying Ukrainian retaliatory attacks and there is fear in some quarters that Putin could order a mass call-up of new soldiers after the election.
The parliamentary vote -- held from September 18 to 20 -- will be the first since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022, and only the second nationwide poll after a presidential contest that re-elected Putin in 2024.
