--- title: "Russia holds parliamentary elections amid Ukraine war" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/russia-holds-parliamentary-elections-amid-ukraine-war" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/russia-holds-parliamentary-elections-amid-ukraine-war" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/russia-holds-parliamentary-elections-amid-ukraine-war.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/russia-holds-parliamentary-elections-amid-ukraine-war" category: "Politics" area: "Russia" published: "2026-09-17T21:46:09.643Z" source_reported: "2026-09-17T21:32:09.000Z" updated: "2026-09-17T21:46:09.643Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 55 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-17T21:45:20.299580+00:00" --- # Russia holds parliamentary elections amid Ukraine war *Voting begins across the country for all 450 seats in the State Duma.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named bodies, but relies on anonymous sourcing and lacks specific dates/locations. - Craft 55 of 100, higher is better. Reports are clear and hold together, but lack quotes from affected parties and details on what happens next. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headlines promise a tightly controlled vote, but the body of the reports is more measured. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Polls have opened in Russia's Far East for a three-day parliamentary election. - This is the first parliamentary vote since the start of the war in Ukraine. - President Vladimir Putin's party is widely expected to win the election. - Voting is also occurring in occupied territories of eastern Ukraine. Russia has begun a three-day parliamentary election, with polls opening in the Far East. The vote will determine all 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament. This election is the first parliamentary vote to take place since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Voting is also being conducted in occupied territories of eastern Ukraine. ## Disagreement on election timing While most reports state that voting began on Friday, 18 September 2026, one outlet indicates a different start date. Vedomosti.ru reports that the election will last for three days, from 18 to 20 September. Life.ru states that polling stations in the Far East opened at 11 p.m. Moscow time on 17 September, with electoral commissions beginning their work on the morning of 18 September. Interfax.ru and vz.ru also note that the first polling stations opened on Kamchatka and Chukotka. ## Omissions in coverage None of the right-rated reports mention the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace or the analysis provided by Tatiana Stanovaïa. The left-rated report from La Presse included this information. ## Who covered it Shares of the 8 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 13% (1) - Centre: 12% (1) - Right: 75% (6) 8 of 16 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-17T21:45:20.299580+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-17T22:15:32.202Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - La Presse led its report on the start of the legislative elections in Russia, highlighting that they are taking place in the midst of the war in Ukraine. The report noted that the vote, which will renew the 450 seats in the State Duma, is scheduled to last until Sunday. It also stated that these are the first legislative elections since the large-scale offensive in Ukraine began in February 2022 and that they are being held in occupied territories in eastern Ukraine. The outlet mentioned that the election will allow the Kremlin to gauge the mood of Russians, as diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict have failed. La Presse quoted Tatiana Stanovaïa of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an organisation banned in Russia, who explained that Putin compares his political situation to European countries and that having an election with considerable support is important to him personally, emotionally, and politically. The report also touched on the fear of a new mobilisation following the partial mobilisation of 300,000 reservists in September 2022. ### Centre - Washington Top News reported on the opening of polls for Russia's tightly controlled parliamentary vote, with the Kremlin expected to maintain its grip on power. The report stated that the election will determine all 450 seats in the State Duma. ### Right - The right-rated reports focused on the commencement of voting in Russia's parliamentary election, noting it is the first since the war in Ukraine began. Multiple outlets stated that polling stations opened in the Far East and that the election will determine all 450 seats in the State Duma. President Vladimir Putin's party is widely expected to win. Times of India, Aftenposten, Le Figaro, news-pravda.com, vz.ru, and Interfax.ru all carried headlines and digests to this effect. Vz.ru mentioned that Ella Pamfilova, Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission, participated in the opening of the first polling stations and that Russia's anthem was played. Interfax.ru and news-pravda.com specified that polling stations opened in Kamchatka and Chukotka. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - mixed: 3 - high: 3 - unknown: 8 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Herts Advertiser](https://hertsad.co.uk/news/national/26560704.russia-votes-wartime-parliamentary-election-set-secure-kremlins-power) — Russia votes in wartime parliamentary election set to secure the Kremlin’s power - [n1info.rs](https://n1info.rs/svet/poceli-trodnevni-parlamentarni-izbori-u-rusiji-otvorena-prva-biracka-mesta) — Three-Day Parliamentary Elections Have Begun in Russia: The First Polling Stations Have Opened - [Nettavisen](https://nettavisen.no/nyheter/duma-valget-i-russland-har-startet/s/80-95-88131) — Duma Elections in Russia Have Begun - [vedomosti.ru](https://vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2026/09/18/1229775-kak-politiki-i-eksperti-gotovyatsya-k-viboram) — "I'm Gonna Vote Old-Fashioned": How Politicians and Experts Prepare for Elections - [anlatilaninotesi.com.tr](https://anlatilaninotesi.com.tr/20260918/rusyada-devlet-dumasi-secimlerinde-oy-verme-islemi-basladi-1108843124.html) — Voting Has Begun in the State Duma Elections in Russia. - [Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/russia-kicks-off-voting-in-first-parliamentary-election-since-ukraine-war-began/articleshow/134321045.cms) — Russia kicks off voting in first parliamentary election since Ukraine war began - [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/russia-kicks-off-voting-in-first-parliamentary-election-since-ukraine-war-began) — Russia kicks off voting in first parliamentary election since Ukraine war began - [Life.ru](https://life.ru/p/pervye-uchastki-v-edinyy-den-golosovaniya-v-rossii-otkrylis-na-dalnem-vostoke) — The First Sites on the Unified Voting Day in Russia Opened in the Far East - [Aftenposten](https://aftenposten.no/verden/i/Gx9R5m/duma-valget-i-russland-har-startet) — Duma Elections in Russia Have Begun - [Le Figaro](https://lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/legislatives-en-russie-ouverture-des-bureaux-de-vote-en-extreme-orient-20260917) — Legislative Authorities in Russia: Polling Stations Open in the Far East - [Naftemporiki](https://naftemporiki.gr/kosmos/2163167/anoixan-oi-kalpes-gia-tis-voyleytikes-ekloges-sti-rosiki-apo-anatoli) — Polls Open for Parliamentary Elections in Russia's Far East - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/09/17/2600133.html) — State Duma elections have begun in Russia - [vz.ru](https://vz.ru/news/2026/9/17/1452527.html) — Elections to the Ninth State Duma Began in Russia - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/world/2026/09/polls-open-in-russias-tightly-controlled-parliamentary-vote-with-the-kremlin-expected-to-keep-its-grip-on-power) — Polls open in Russia’s tightly controlled parliamentary vote, with the Kremlin expected to keep its grip on power – WTOP News - [Interfax.ru](https://interfax.ru/russia/1116757) — The First Polling Stations Opened on Kamchatka and Chukotka - [La Presse](https://lapresse.ca/international/europe/2026-09-17/debut-des-legislatives-russes-en-pleine-guerre-en-ukraine.php) — Start of Russian Legislatures, in the Midst of War in Ukraine ## Questions **When did the Russian parliamentary elections begin?** Polls opened in Russia's Far East on Friday, 18 September 2026, for a three-day parliamentary election. Some reports indicate that the first electoral commissions began their work on the morning of 18 September, following an 11 p.m. Moscow time opening on 17 September. **What is being decided in these elections?** The elections will determine all 450 seats in the State Duma, which is the lower house of the Russian parliament. This is the first parliamentary election to be held since the start of the war in Ukraine. **Is President Putin's party expected to win?** Yes, President Vladimir Putin's party is widely expected to win the election and maintain its grip on power in the State Duma. The election is described as tightly controlled. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/russia-holds-parliamentary-elections-amid-ukraine-war. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Russia holds parliamentary elections amid Ukraine war", https://mediabias.news/politics/russia-holds-parliamentary-elections-amid-ukraine-war