The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, faces an agenda filled with challenges and a focus on winning votes. State-backed polls indicate broad support for the incumbent as the campaign kicks off this Friday, with forecasts placing the share near 58 percent. The three announced opponents — Nikolai Yaritonov, Vladislav Davankov, and Leonid Slutsky — would likely secure only around 4 percent each. On the streets, official posters show four candidates sharing public spaces alongside soldiers and messages about defending the homeland, underscoring that the observed period is not a time of full peace. Memorials to those who died on the front lines are also visible.
A small group distributed electoral propaganda in central areas. While many volunteers participated, some responses when asked about the candidate and his proposals were vague. Beyond the visible influence of state media, three opposition formations — A Just Russia, the Russian Democratic Party, and the Russian People’s Union — issued appeals urging people to vote for the leader. They did not present a candidate of their own for these elections.
Throughout the campaign, Putin did not participate in electoral debates, an unusual choice in recent history. His speech, ongoing since 2022, has been repeated in several addresses. In a recent broadcast on public television, he stated that from a technical-military standpoint Russia is prepared to act at any moment. The message emphasizes that the nation responds to perceived threats and to Western moves in Ukraine.
In recent years, Putin’s voters have tended to be older individuals who grew up during the Soviet era and lived through the hardships of the 1990s. There is notable interest in attracting younger voters, who tend to seek information beyond state-controlled media and often adopt more critical stances. According to The Moscow Times, authorities are working to shift this dynamic and mobilize regional leaders to engage more young people, students, and professionals in an effort to increase turnout.
During the campaign, news of the death of opposition figure Alexei Navalny dealt a blow to the dissent. Navalny had been a central figure for years, dying in a special regime facility in the Arctic after being poisoned in 2020 and imprisoned since 2021. His funeral and burial, held on March 1, became a political act of protest, with Navalny’s supporters voicing slogans against Putin and the war in Ukraine. Organizers attempted to prevent the funeral from becoming a political rally by pressuring the family. A march in memory of Navalny and Boris Nemtsov, murdered in 2015, was also planned but opposed by authorities citing health concerns.
In theory, if no candidate secures more than half the votes, a second round could be held, a scenario not seen since 1996. Residents in hard-to-reach and remote areas could cast an early vote between February 25 and March 14. The remaining citizens would cast their ballots this Friday through Sunday.
These elections carry historical significance for the annexed Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporiyia, and Crimea, which have been under Russian control since 2014. Voting in these territories has drawn criticism from several countries and observers who question the legitimacy of recognizing them as fully part of Russia, fueling ongoing international and regional debate about the electoral process in those areas.
[CITATION: The Moscow Times] These explanations aim to understand the electoral dynamics within a complex context marked by regional tensions and official narratives that seek to legitimize political action under challenging circumstances. Coverage tends to balance the official line with dissenting opinions, without losing sight of the political and social backdrop surrounding these elections.