The UK Ministry of Defence stated that the Kremlin intends to "institutionalize the war" through new candidates for the State Duma

The leadership of the "United Russia" party has identified five key candidates for the party list in the State Duma elections, which are to be held in September 2026. The list includes individuals closely associated with the full-scale war against Ukraine. This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense, according to UNN.

Details

The final approval of the list of candidates will take place at the party congress later this year. Among them are, in particular, Vladislav Golovin, head of the Russian Ministry of Defense's youth organization "Yunarmia," and war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny.

British intelligence believes that such a selection of candidates indicates the Kremlin's desire to make the war a permanent and defining element of its long-term political strategy.

It is also noted that the Russian authorities are likely planning to use so-called "military influencers" to restore and expand public support for the war.

Particular attention in the report was paid to Golovin, who is trying to influence the younger generation through the computer game "Detachment 22: ZOV," aimed at popularizing the war against Ukraine.

The UK Ministry of Defense emphasizes that young people in Russia are significantly less connected to the ideas of Putin's elites and their imperial ambitions than older generations who were formed during the Soviet Union.

That is why the inclusion of representatives of the new wave of propagandists in political lists is seen as an attempt by the Kremlin to close this gap and involve younger citizens in supporting the war.

Recall

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called recent Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure particularly brutal and insidious during a conversation with US President Donald Trump. He noted that temperatures had dropped below -20 °C.