The Kremlin has drawn up a list of five candidates to represent the ruling "United Russia" party in the State Duma elections in September 2026.
Three sources told RBK on January 19 that the chosen ones are: the Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army, Captain Vladislav Golovin, Maryana Lysenko (a prominent Russian doctor who headed City Clinical Hospital No. 52 and was awarded the title of Hero of Labor for her work in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia), and the Kremlin-friendly Russian blogger Yevgeny Poddubny.
This is written by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The candidates are popular political figures in the country who hold important positions in the Russian political sphere and are likely to give up their parliamentary seats in favor of retaining the more influential or lucrative positions they currently hold.
Putin wants to present pro-war figures as role models for emulation, which embody the informal state ideology and political priorities of Russia for 2026.
The list has not been officially confirmed and is not final. The final unified federal list could include up to 15 candidates, but only the top five will be listed on the ballot.
RBK sources said Putin himself decides on the final list of candidates.
RBK reported that Medvedev, who often represents the Kremlin's extreme positions and has previously made veiled and overt nuclear threats aimed at Europe and the United States, is likely to top the list.
Lavrov recently said that a peace agreement for Russia's war in Ukraine should address the issue of those living in Novorossiya.
Russia has reportedly begun using unmanned ground vehicles (UNVs) equipped with thermobaric artillery mounts to adapt artillery to current battlefield conditions dominated by drones.
A Ukrainian Telegram channel published footage on January 19 showing how Russian forces test Malvina-M - the first Russian BNP equipped with thermobaric artillery.