Russians abroad voted eight to one against Putin's party, defying official results

By Ioulia Poukhli & Serguei Doubine & Nadezhda Driamina Published on 22/09/2026 - 7:00 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Two independent exit polls covering 27 countries put New People first with around 45% and United Russia as low as 2.8%, the reverse of official results inside Russia, where Putin's party took nearly 58%. Exit poll organisers said the gap "destroys the image of supposed support for the authorities." Russians voting at embassies and consulates abroad backed the liberal New People party over Vladimir Putin's United Russia by a margin of eight to one, according to two independent exit polls conducted during this weekend's State Duma elections — the reverse of official results from inside Russia, where Putin's party took nearly 58% of the vote. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Vote Abroad project, which surveyed almost 15,700 voters at 27 polling stations across 22 countries, put New People at 43%, the Communist Party at 18.3% and United Russia at 5.5%. In 10 countries, including Armenia, Germany and Finland, United Russia failed to clear the 5% threshold required to win Duma seats. A separate exit poll by opposition movement Vesna and the Progress project, covering 18 stations in 17 countries, put New People first at every location with 47.3%, the Communist Party second at 19.2% and United Russia at 2.8%. Inside Russia, the Central Election Commission reported United Russia winning nearly 58%, the Communist Party at 14%, the LDPR at almost 9% and New People below 8%. Stark contrast "The contrast is indeed very stark," Ivan Zhdanov, director of the Progress project and a former head of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, told Euronews. "83.5% of those who answered our question on trust do not fully or mostly trust the official results," Zhdanov added. "In purely arithmetic terms, votes cast abroad are hardly going to determine the composition of the Duma," he said. "But they are important: they show a completely different reality and destroy the image of supposed support for the authorities." Volunteers from "Голосование за рубежом" для Евроньюс Many Russians who left the country after the 2022 invasion oppose the war, and the only anti-war party Yabloko was barred from the election on a procedural pretext and excluded from the federal ballot entirely. Those abroad who opposed the war had no Yabloko option and predominantly voted New People instead, exit poll workers said. "The aim of our civic initiative is to provide a truthful picture of the electoral process abroad," said Irina Kh, part of the active core of Vote Abroad alongside around 15 other activists. "We use no party symbols and have no affiliation with political organisations — we carry out our surveys impartially and independently." The project was launched in 2021 and has conducted exit polls at Russian elections since, including the 2024 presidential vote. Volunteers use anonymous written questionnaires of five questions, drawn up and analysed by professional sociologists, including at a German university. The project is self-funded. No major incidents Voting abroad was largely calm, exit poll workers said, in contrast to reports from inside Russia of ballot stuffing and obstruction of observers. CEC chair Ella Pamfilova said only two cases of ballot stuffing had been recorded nationwide, a claim independent monitors disputed. Russia's ambassador to Switzerland branded exit poll participants "anti-Russian agitators" and "representatives of foreign organisations designated as undesirable in Russia." In Geneva, local authorities required volunteers to stand at least 150 metres from the consulate entrance after bowing to the consulate's wishes. In Bern, a Russian embassy guard approached one volunteer during the day, pointed at the passport of the person being interviewed and jabbed a finger at her computer screen — apparently intended as a warning about consequences. At some embassies, volunteers said they were recognised from previous elections and admitted without difficulty. At others they had to make themselves known. Voters came to polling stations with apples "Голосуй за рубежом" для Euronews "In most diplomatic missions, the Russian authorities try not to attract attention and to ensure everything runs smoothly, since they are in another country," Irina Kh said. "For the Kremlin, the image matters, the facade." Volunteer Milena, who worked in Geneva, said the exit poll "precisely disrupts this idyllic picture", pointing to the reaction of the Russian ambassador in Bern as evidence of how much the Kremlin wanted to control appearances. Back to the USSR Supporters of United Russia arrived at polling stations smartly dressed, volunteers observed — "in the best Soviet traditions", one said. Most were either young tourists abroad by chance or people over 45 who had left Russia long ago. Some were hostile to the volunteers, demanding to know whether they held Russian passports and telling them to "get a proper job." Others who had voted for United Russia saw the exit poll as an opportunity to confirm the CEC's figures. In a number of European cities, voters arrived carrying apples, which they handed to other voters and left at polling stations. Improvised ballot box for exit poll questionnaires "Голосуй за рубежом" для Euronews Most told exit poll workers that opposition to the war was their main criterion and that they had voted New People because Yabloko had been removed from the federal ballot. "Many spoke warmly with us, said they follow the Vote Abroad community and welcome the exit polls, as they do not trust elections in Russia," Irina Kh said. Some, having voted and answered the questionnaire, returned with friends or family members. In Helsinki, a grandmother arrived wearing a T-shirt bearing Putin's portrait and spoke to all the volunteers. "I'll collect my pension in Finland and then go to Russia to live out my years," she told them. Curtailed voting rights Russians abroad were given a more restricted ballot than in 2021. Under legislative changes introduced in 2024, they could vote only on the federal party list, not for single-mandate constituency candidates — a change human rights organisations criticised as violating voters' equality. The authorities said the amendment was intended to simplify logistics and counting. The restriction had a practical consequence for anti-war voters: in 2021, single-mandate votes cast abroad for opposition candidates affected final results in several constituencies. That route was closed this time. A total of 1.8 million Russian citizens abroad were entitled to vote, with 326 polling stations operating at embassies and consulates across 152 countries — more than 60 fewer than at the 2021 elections, which Russia attributed to the closure of diplomatic missions. Russia's Foreign Ministry said 212,000 people voted abroad, up from 191,000 in 2021, and described turnout as "extremely high". Vote Abroad put the figure at roughly three times lower. Vote Abroad coordinator Aleksandr Teplyakov said the gap between their exit poll data and official figures was "34%, largely thanks to such surveys and observation." Teplyakov mentioned examples from Cyprus during the 2024 presidential election, where he said "an implausible turnout was recorded" and "thousands of votes were stuffed for Vladimir Putin", and Yerevan, where "troops were deliberately brought in" from the Russian military contingent stationed there to vote. According to the CEC, Putin took more than 72% of the vote abroad in 2024. Vote Abroad recorded 33%, including 22% who refused to answer. Related Russians leave before election ends, fearing mobilisation to followRussians vote in elections with no party opposing Putin or war in Ukraine When Vote Abroad asked respondents in this election whether they trusted Russian election results, 63% said they rather did not or definitely did not. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday that the elections were "yet another serious blow to Russian democracy" and announced she had proposed sanctions against individuals who facilitated voting in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. "The Kremlin has crushed dissent, barred the only registered party that opposed the war in Ukraine from standing, and blocked international observers," she wrote on X. "All that remains in Russia is the appearance of democracy." Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Putin's party wins record Duma majority in Kremlin-controlled elections as EU vows sanctions University students launch ‘student list’ to shake up Serbia’s elections Trump presses Supreme Court to curb mail voting as ballots begin reaching Americans Poll Elections Vladimir Putin Russia e-voting Europe Comments