Russia votes in first State Duma election since the invasion of Ukraine expected to extend Putin's grip

Russians began voting Friday in a three-day State Duma election, the first since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, expected to extend United Russia's 23-year parliamentary dominance.

• The vote runs Friday through Sunday, with United Russia expected to keep its parliamentary majority alongside nominal opposition parties that reliably back the Kremlin.
• The authorities barred the liberal anti-war party Yabloko from the ballot last month and classified peace candidate Boris Nadezhdin as a foreign agent, prompting him to leave the country.
• Putin said the vote will show unity with the military, telling voters their choice will demonstrate that "millions of people stand behind our soldiers."
• Fears of a new mobilization sent some young men abroad, including one who flew to Yerevan, after Putin twice dismissed suggestions of an imminent draft.
• United Russia's candidate list is led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny.
• The Communist Party, led by Gennady Zyuganov, may finish second, a result analysts say could signal voter anger over economic hardship.
• Putin described the vote as Russia's most important domestic political event of the year and a collective contribution to victory against Ukraine, while the opposition called it unfair.
• Voting is also taking place in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, which Kyiv denounced as illegal and urged foreign governments not to recognize.
• The Kremlin removed Communist Party of the Russian Federation candidates from ballots as part of an effort to prevent a protest vote, the report said.
• Around 180 candidates who fought in Ukraine are contesting the Duma election, according to a report.
• Moscow warned of Ukrainian and Western provocations aimed at disrupting the parliamentary vote in Russia.