The Kremlin said the issue of postponing State Duma elections scheduled for September 2026 is not being discussed.
“Preparations for the elections are under way. They were announced by presidential decree,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS.
Earlier, two sources close to the Russian presidential administration told Meduza that the heads of the FSB and Rosgvardiya chief Viktor Zolotov are trying to persuade Putin to postpone the elections. According to one of the outlet’s sources, talk of a postponement, “or in reality—cancellation in the near term,” emerged back in spring 2026.
Among the arguments that the security officials, according to Meduza, are using to lobby for canceling the elections are the worsening economic situation and falling ratings for United Russia.
At the same time, one of the outlet’s sources emphasized that discussion of a possible postponement of the Duma elections is still only “at the level of talk.”
“No documents are on the president’s desk, and perhaps there never will be,” he added.
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