Putin’s Party Prevails in War-Affected Regions

As Russia’s local and regional elections came to a close on Sunday, early vote counts has indicated a resounding victory for President Vladimir Putin’s loyalists.

Across the country, Kremlin-backed candidates were poised to sweep all 21 gubernatorial races, as well as legislative assembly seats in 13 regions and city council positions.

In the midst of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year, these elections were seen as a referendum on Putin’s leadership.

And the results were clear: Russians were rallying behind their president.

As Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of the ruling United Russia party, declared, “Let’s be honest: there is a war going on. Our task is to defeat our enemy… It is extremely important not to lose the trust of the citizens of Russia, our comrades, during this period.”

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In the border region of Kursk, where Ukrainian forces have made gains, acting governor Alexei Smirnov was leading the race with 66% of the vote.

Meanwhile, in the Lipetsk region, a frequent target of Ukrainian drone attacks, incumbent governor Igor Artamonov was cruising to victory with 80% of the vote.

In the Bryansk region, another area affected by Ukrainian air attacks, former Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin was leading the by-election to the State Duma.

As the votes were being counted, one thing was clear: Putin’s war efforts had garnered widespread support among Russians.

The question now was, what would this mean for the future of the conflict in Ukraine? Only time would tell.

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