The leadership of the FSB and National Guard chief Viktor Zolotov are trying to persuade Vladimir Putin to postpone or even cancel the State Duma elections. That was reported by Meduza, citing sources close to the Kremlin.
According to one source, discussions about “postponing, and in reality canceling in the near term” began in spring 2026. Another source said the matter is still being discussed, though only at the level of informal talks.
Meduza writes that the security officials justify their position by pointing to the worsening economic situation and declining support for United Russia. According to FOM and VTsIOM, the party’s rating is around 35%, while one source said FSO measurements show even lower figures. Two sources told the outlet that discussion of delaying or canceling the vote intensified after Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow.
According to the report, those opposing this push include Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, the presidential administration’s political bloc headed by Sergei Kiriyenko, and the information bloc overseen by Aleksei Gromov. One source said Medvedev expects to lead United Russia’s party list and then become speaker of the new Duma. For Kiriyenko and Gromov, the campaign is important as a test of their political effectiveness.
“First, Ukraine has no elections, while we do. That is a serious political point. Second, canceling elections would mean admitting that plans have been disrupted and the situation is an emergency. But for now we are doing everything possible to show that everything is normal,” a Meduza source in the Kremlin said, describing Putin’s position.
Another source described holding the vote on schedule as a “symbolic moment” for Putin and said the president appears convinced the elections will proceed as planned. At the same time, election law specialist Andrei Buzin told Meduza that postponing or canceling the elections would only require martial law, a state of emergency, or a high-alert regime in at least one Russian region.
Martial law is already in effect in the Russian-occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Still, the State Duma elections have already been formally scheduled by Putin’s decree and are set for September 18 to 20. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that no postponement is being discussed in the Kremlin and that preparations for the vote are ongoing.