Russia establishes border polling stations for legislative vote in Poland and Baltic regions

The Russian Electoral Commission disclosed plans to open ten additional polling stations for the upcoming Duma election at border checkpoints with Poland and the Baltic nations, extending a practice first employed during the 2024 presidential election. Ella Pamfilova explained that the stations will be situated near border posts in the heavily militarised Kaliningrad enclave, as well as in the Leningrad and Pskov regions that border Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Alongside these physical sites, Russian citizens may also vote electronically. The commission currently operates 333 polling stations across 152 countries, compensating for the closure of most Russian consulates after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The vote will fill all 450 seats in the lower house, with United Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s party, expected to retain its majority. Recent weeks have seen Poland and the Baltic states accuse Russia of repeated drone incursions, heightening regional tensions as the election approaches.