Putin's party strengthens supermajority in Russian election

Russia's ruling United Russia party won 355 of 450 seats in the Duma election, increasing its supermajority and strengthening President Vladimir Putin's grip on power amid the Ukraine war. The result beat the party's previous record of 343 seats, with the Kremlin citing it as proof of public unity around Putin. The only anti-war party, Yabloko, was barred from federal voting, though it entered a regional parliament in Novgorod. The election occurred as Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow, killing two people. The EU and Western nations dismissed the vote as a sham, while some Russians expressed hopes for peace and an end to the conflict.