Putin's rigged Duma vote is a farce, not a barometer of support
When Vladimir Putin calls an election a "barometer of support," he isn't asking a question; he is issuing a decree.
By Aoife Gallagher ·
yabloko — Lorien Times
Putin trades State Duma competence for symbolic loyalty
The three-day vote beginning September 18, 2026, for the State Duma is not an election in any sense that a student of institutional stability would recognize.
By Klaus Berger ·
Putin's Duma election is a ritual of submission, not a mandate
There is a particular kind of cruelty in the word "barometer." Vladimir Putin has framed the current State Duma elections as a barometer of support for his war in Ukraine, but a…
By Elena Rossi ·