Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party has won 355 of the 450 seats in Russia’s State Duma, according to preliminary results, giving it a larger super-majority than in 2016. The result has been presented by the Kremlin as evidence of national unity, but its credibility is challenged by the exclusion of parties critical of Putin, including the liberal anti-war party Yabloko.

Yabloko was banned shortly before the vote following allegations linked to Russia’s designation of the international LGBT movement as extremist and claims concerning foreign funding. The UK and several allies condemned elections held in occupied Ukrainian territories as illegitimate, while EU governments faced a dispute over renewing sanctions against Russia, including disagreements about whether to remove oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the blacklist.