What Putin's Election Victory Means for Next Phase of Ukraine War

The United Russia party has won a record number of parliamentary seats after a controlled election that President Vladimir Putin is likely to use as a mandate to continue his aggression in Ukraine, a Russian economist has told Newsweek, as speculation grows over whether the election will precede a military draft.

Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Monday that the ruling United Russia party linked to Putin would get 355 seats in the 450-seat State Duma. This would beat its previous record from 2016 of 343 seats, after getting almost 58 percent of the party-list vote and dominating single-member districts.