Russians head to polls as Putin’s sham election kicks off – with only parties that support tyrant’s war allowed to run

RUSSIANS are heading to the polls for Vladimir Putin’s sham elections – with any parties deemed a threat to his regime or the war outlawed. Millions will cast their ballots over the next three days – some at gun point – in the first parliamentary vote since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A woman casts her vote with an armed man in Russian-occupied Donetsk in Ukraine Credit: Reuters The Putin-loving United Russia party is expected to win Credit: EPA The election will determine the make-up of the 450-seat lower house of parliament, the State Duma – Russia‘s House of Commons equivalent. But the sham vote will more than likely result in an overwhelming victory for pro-Putin party United Russia. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Most anti-war candidates have been excluded from taking part in the ballot and movements who are deemed an actual threat are tightly restricted. It comes just weeks after Russian judges ruled that the liberal Yabloko party – the only group calling for a ceasefire – had breached electoral rules. Russia has continued to pummel Ukraine with strikes Credit: EPA The three-day vote will determine the lower house of Russian parliament Credit: AFP They have been banned from running – but some candidates are still standing in individual constituencies, reports say. In a televised address to the nation before the election, Putin said casting a vote would help secure Russia’s victory in Ukraine and demonstrate national resolve in the face of external pressure. The Kremlin says national unity is vital because of “increasingly dangerous efforts” by Ukraine’s intelligence services and other enemies to stir unrest. The comments come amid Putin’s increasingly dangerous sabotage campaign in Europe. Most read in The Sun The vote results will be released on Monday Credit: Reuters Some are being held at gunpoint during the sham election Credit: Reuters Some of his brazen plots have come terrifyingly close to killing civilians sparking all-out war – including the Leipzig drone attack. A suspected targeted strike on Boris Johnson‘s train was also avoided by just minutes last week. Opinion polls in Russia currently show some citizens have become more anxious about how the bloody war has affected them. This has been a result of Ukraine’s targeted blitz campaigns across Russia on oil, transport and logistics facilities. The elections are being tightly monitored Credit: EPA Voters are heading to the polls for two days Credit: AFP These strikes have brought the war home to Russia – with many now feeling the effects of fuel shortages and economic strain. Results are expected to trickle out on Sunday evening before confirmed outcomes are announced on Monday. There are also mounting fears that Putin will introduce mass mobilisation after the election. Speculation is rife that Moscow has delayed a much-needed recruitment until after the results come out – to avoid unpopularity during the vote. Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said Putin planning to mobilise 500,000 Russians in the coming weeks. Ukraine also today launched a major drone strike causing airport disruption in Moscow. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed more than 350 drones flew towards the capital and the surrounding region in just 11 hours. A total of 64 were shot down as they approached, and most were neutralised “at a distance”, he claimed. It was second largest mass attack on Moscow since Zelensky earlier this month warned planes should avoid flying in Russian airspace. A total of 629 Ukrainian overnight drones were shot down or disrupted over Russia, according to the regime’s Defence Ministry. Comment now