Russians vote in final day of parliamentary elections

Russians cast ballots Sunday for a third and final day of tightly controlled parliamentary elections expected to tighten the Kremlin's grip on power, as the Ukraine war enters its fifth year.

The ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin and has won every parliamentary election in Russia since 2003, is widely expected to win again.

Russia's Supreme Court removed the anti-war Yabloko party from the ballot weeks before the vote, while every other party cleared to run backs Putin and the Ukraine offensive.

Though the results are unlikely to bring surprises, this marks the first since Moscow launched its military campaign in Ukraine in 2022 and could offer clues about public opinion towards the conflict, Europe's deadliest since World War II.

Putin has called on Russians to vote, framing it as a show of support for Moscow's troops and an "answer to those who want to weaken Russia."

As the final day of voting began, Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin accused Ukraine and said that Russian air defences had shot down more than 1,600 drones, 450 of which were heading towards the Russian capital.

"The unprecedented attack was clearly planned to disrupt the elections. The enemy did not succeed," he said on Telegram.

The vote, which will decide all 450 seats in Russia's lower house, the State Duma, is set to run until Sunday evening.