Supporters of President Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine are on course to win gubernatorial elections across Russia, Reuters reported, citing BTA, citing initial vote count data, including in the Kursk region, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken control of several settlements.
Three days of local elections ended last night, with voters expected to elect Kremlin-backed candidates in all 21 gubernatorial elections held, as well as members of 13 regional and city electoral bodies across the country.
The election results have already been interpreted in Russia as a vote of confidence in Putin and his operation in Ukraine, as already happened in the March elections that extended his presidential term.
„Let's be honest: there is a war going on right now. Our task is to defeat the enemy, Dmitry Medvedev, former President of Russia and current chairman of the ruling United Russia party, said last night, quoted by TASS. “It is extremely important during this period not to lose the trust of the citizens of Russia, of our comrades”, he added.
In the border region of Kursk, where units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made a surprise entry last month, the incumbent governor is leading the race with more than half the ballots counted. Alexei Smirnov, who has led the region since May, received nearly 66% of the vote, according to the CEC of Russia.
In the southwestern Lipetsk region, which has become a frequent target of Ukrainian drone strikes, the current governor and candidate of “United Russia” Igor Artamonov received 80% of the votes in the almost finished counting.
Former sports minister Oleg Matitsyn, also from “United Russia”, is leading the election for a seat in the Russian State Duma in the border region of Bryansk, which is also frequently subject to Ukrainian airstrikes.