Putin's war veterans reshape Russia's parliament after election

Russian parliamentary elections brought nearly 50 Ukraine war veterans into the State Duma, part of President Vladimir Putin's effort to militarize the legislature. The EU dismissed the vote as a "sham democracy." United Russia's victory secured 49 veterans seats in the 450-member lower house, roughly one in ten positions. Officials initially claimed 86 soldiers entered parliament, but the figure was revised after the party intervened. Observers say the move is a calculated Kremlin strategy, not merely symbolic, transforming the Duma into a war echo chamber. The veterans' presence reinforces military influence over Russian legislative politics.