Russia holds controlled election as Putin tightens grip amid Ukraine war

In a country transformed by three years of war, Russians cast ballots this weekend in an election whose outcome was never in question — only its aftermath. The Kremlin, having barred the sole anti-war party from competing once its support proved inconveniently real, has staged a vote designed less to reflect public will than to manufacture the appearance of it. What hangs over the exercise is not the count, but the fear of what a compliant new parliament may authorize once the formality is complete.