Updated

Russia has begun its three-day State Duma elections, with the first polling stations opening at 8:00 a.m. local time in the far eastern regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka on September 17. Observers describe the vote as lacking meaningful competition after the anti-war Yabloko party was barred and its single-member-district candidates faced obstacles, while Putin has cast the vote as a barometer of public support for his rule. Adding to concerns about the integrity of the process, German police have identified Vitaly Kovalev, a 38-year-old wanted by Interpol for allegedly founding the Trickbot ransomware group blamed for attacks on U.S. hospitals, as having been placed on the New People party's federal candidate list for the Duma elections before being quietly dropped in July. The revelation underscores broader allegations of manipulation and irregularities surrounding the tightly controlled vote.