MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of deliberately interfering in Russia’s parliamentary election and obstructing efforts to restart negotiations aimed at ending the war, as millions of Russians began voting in a closely watched three-day election.
Putin made the accusation on September 18 while speaking to Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission. According to Reuters, he said Ukraine was “trying to interfere” with Russia’s election but did not provide evidence publicly supporting the claim.
His comments came as Russia opened voting for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in an election taking place from September 18 to 20. All 450 Duma seats are being contested, alongside regional and local elections.
Drone attacks disrupt voting
The election has taken place against the backdrop of continuing Russian and Ukrainian attacks.
Russian election authorities said Ukrainian drone strikes disrupted some election-related operations on the first day of voting. The Moscow Times reported that a polling station in the Krasnodar region had to be relocated after drone damage shattered windows, while 14 polling stations in Russian-occupied Luhansk temporarily lost power after damage to energy infrastructure.
Russian officials also reported that election infrastructure faced cyberattacks and that authorities were working to protect Russia’s remote electronic voting system.
Separately, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones overnight. Those figures were reported by Russian authorities and were not independently verified by The Moscow Times.
The incidents provide important context for Putin’s claim, but the reporting reviewed does not independently establish that Ukraine carried out a coordinated effort to interfere with the election itself.
Putin links the election dispute to stalled peace talks
Putin also connected the alleged interference to the broader war in Ukraine.
He accused Kyiv of undermining potential peace negotiations, citing Ukrainian attacks on Russian targets. He specifically referred to a recent strike in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia that reportedly killed the head of a local election commission.
Putin argued that attacks of this kind make negotiations more difficult. Ukraine, however, has rejected Russian accusations surrounding the electoral process and has continued to oppose Russia’s organization of elections in Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation.
The war, now more than four years old, remains the central backdrop to Russia’s parliamentary vote.
Why this election is drawing international scrutiny
This is Russia’s first State Duma election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The election is taking place under significantly restricted political conditions. AP reported that anti-war political candidates have faced imprisonment, exile or exclusion from the ballot, while the liberal Yabloko party was barred from participating.
The Guardian similarly reported that the election is being conducted in an environment in which meaningful political competition has been sharply limited, with the ruling United Russia party expected to retain its dominance.
Reuters has reported that the 450-seat State Duma is divided between 225 seats elected through a nationwide party-list system and another 225 contested in single-member districts.
Occupied Ukrainian territories add another point of contention
Russia is also conducting voting in Ukrainian territories it claims to have annexed.
Ukraine’s Central Election Commission said Russia’s organization of parliamentary elections in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea and Sevastopol is illegitimate under Ukrainian law and international law.
Ukraine’s Security Service separately urged residents in occupied areas not to participate in Russia’s election, describing the voting there as illegal and warning of potential criminal consequences under Ukrainian law for participation in organizing such elections.
The inclusion of occupied Ukrainian territory therefore remains one of the most contentious elements of the vote.
Russia says outside forces are trying to undermine the election
Putin’s latest accusation follows earlier Russian claims that foreign governments were seeking to disrupt or discredit the election.
In August, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service accused the European Union of preparing efforts to interfere with the vote, including alleged attempts to encourage opposition activity and challenge the results. European officials have rejected Russian accusations of election interference.
Ukraine has also accused Russia of using elections in occupied Ukrainian territories to strengthen its control over those areas, creating a competing narrative over the meaning and legitimacy of the electoral process.
What happens after the three-day vote?
Voting is scheduled to continue through September 20, with results expected to determine the composition of Russia’s next State Duma.
For the Kremlin, the election comes at a politically significant moment: Russia is continuing its war in Ukraine while facing Ukrainian drone attacks deeper inside Russian territory and persistent international criticism of its political system and treatment of opposition figures.
Putin has presented the election as an opportunity to demonstrate public support for Russia’s policies and military campaign. Critics and independent observers, however, have questioned the competitiveness of the vote because of restrictions on opposition parties and candidates.
The immediate question now is not simply who wins individual seats, but how the Kremlin uses the eventual result—and whether accusations of foreign interference, attacks on election infrastructure and the unresolved war in Ukraine will further complicate already strained prospects for negotiations.
