Russia votes with war on mind

Russians are heading to the ballot box to elect a new parliament for the first time since Putin invaded Ukraine. The war has reshaped every part of Russian society, from industry to law.

Putin wants warrior politicians

More than 180 war veterans are running as party-backed candidates. Putin has declared that war veterans should form the leadership class of Russia's future.

Building a pro-war parliament

By filling parliament with veterans, Putin legitimizes the war and guarantees support for any measures he wants to prosecute it. It also gives military members more status in a society with a growing veteran population.

The dangerous question

Putin's plan assumes veterans will always take orders. But what happens if they stop?

“What if one day, they stop taking orders?”

United Russia will win easily

Putin's party is almost certain to secure the 300 of 450 seats it needs for a constitutional majority. Opposition candidates were stripped from the ballot.

Public support masks discontent

While 68 percent of Russians support the armed forces in Ukraine, three-quarters believe the war is damaging the economy. More than a third want military spending shifted to healthcare and pensions.

The next decade of war

The parliament elected this weekend will remain in office into the next decade, beyond the 2030 presidential election. Putin is building a political class to sustain endless war.

Time of Heroes fast-tracks soldiers

Putin's Time of Heroes program, launched in March 2024, trains war veterans for senior roles in government, regional administrations, and state-linked companies.

Veterans flood the ballot

Russia's Central Election Commission reported 1,586 war participants registered as candidates at all levels this year, including 186 in the State Duma race. Last year, over 1,000 were elected locally.

Golovin headlines the ticket

Vladislav Golovin, a former marine commander who fought in Donetsk, was selected for Time of Heroes and is now chief of staff of Russia's military youth movement. He headlines United Russia's national election list.

Veterans need recognition

The war is creating a growing population of veterans with physical and mental scars who need reintegration into society. They are becoming a crucial constituency whose interests the ruling party must reward.

Many aren't real combat veterans

The title SVO participant is not protected. Many candidates earned veteran status through non-combat means like sending equipment or brief humanitarian trips, not actual fighting.

“Many of them are people who earned veteran status through means not directly related to actual combat, like sending equipment to the front or making a brief trip to the front line on a humanitarian mission, things like that”

Putin fears his own veterans

Many combat veterans criticize the Defense Ministry and how military operations are planned. The longer the war drags on without clear victory, the more dangerous this environment becomes for Putin.

“Putin has grounds to fear veterans”

Prigozhin's rebellion haunts Putin

Yevgeny Prigozhin led Wagner mercenaries in a march on Moscow to oust the Defense Minister. Though he called off the assault, his uprising shocked the Kremlin. Two months later, his plane exploded.

Some veterans are already grumbling

Communist candidate Anton Shilov, wounded in Ukraine, accuses United Russia of unfair campaigning. Other veteran candidates complain about billionaires profiting while soldiers sacrifice.

“For some, it's war; for others, it's business”

Kremlin worried about veteran blocs

In May, United Russia and Putin's administration discussed management risks from a large veteran population in parliament. Proposals for a dedicated veterans committee were rejected over fears it could become independent.

Duma has no real power anyway

Policy is dictated by Putin and the Kremlin. The Duma simply carries out the executive's bidding. Veterans can be decorated and paraded for propaganda without building independent power.

The real test comes later

Putin will fill parliament with obedient war heroes. The harder test arrives when wounded and disillusioned soldiers return home to a country still demanding sacrifice and decide if their promised rewards were enough.