Nearly a year remains before the State Duma elections, scheduled for September 18-20, 2026, but preparations are already underway. The Russian authorities are discussing ending cooperation with OSCE ODIHR election observers and continue to push participants in the war against Ukraine into politics. At the same time, the team of Yulia Navalnaya has announced a campaign against United Russia.
Ella Pamfilova, head of the Central Election Commission, told Vladimir Putin that after the recent regional and municipal elections, 1,035 participants in the “special military operation” had entered government bodies, mostly from United Russia. At the same time, according to calculations by Novaya-Europe, 1,455 candidates linked to the military sphere took part in those elections, while only 686 won, or about 1.5% of all mandates. The outlet had previously reported that some candidates had served in units implicated in crimes in Ukraine.
Political analyst Abbas Gallyamov told Novaya-Europe that large-scale participation by “SVO veterans” in the Duma campaign will depend on whether the war continues. In his view, if the authorities still need “fresh cannon fodder,” such candidates will be placed more actively on party lists and used in campaign messaging. If the war ends, he believes the authorities will try to distance themselves from the issue.
In the 2026 elections, voters will elect 450 deputies. 12 parties will be able to take part without collecting signatures. The Central Election Commission has already approved a new map of 225 single-mandate districts: additional districts were assigned to Moscow, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Territory, and the occupied regions of Ukraine. Moscow will have the highest number, with 16. Russians living abroad have not been allowed to vote in single-mandate districts since 2023 and receive only the ballot for federal party lists.
Pamfilova also proposed that Putin end cooperation with OSCE ODIHR. She said the organization does not protect the rights of Russian observers and journalists and referred to the fact that Russian representatives were not allowed to observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova.
“Why do we need such an organization? ... I believe this organization has completely discredited itself,” Pamfilova said.
Putin replied that he would discuss the matter with the Foreign Ministry and called the situation “absurd.” Until 2018, Russia had regularly invited ODIHR to observe elections, then began restricting its work, and in 2024 did not allow the mission in at all. ODIHR said this violated international commitments, while the Russian Foreign Ministry justified the move by citing “ultimatum-like demands” and what it called politically biased assessments.
On September 24, 2025, Yulia Navalnaya’s team announced a campaign against United Russia ahead of the 2026 elections. The statement said its goal was to persuade as many people as possible not to vote for the ruling party and to prevent Putin from creating the impression of nationwide support. Gallyamov said the broader idea of mobilizing protest sentiment was sound, although he noted that keeping public attention on the issue for a full year could be difficult.