Russians go to the polls in elections to its parliament amid a fuel crisis, mortuaries swollen with war dead, and an economy that is shrinking. All ingredients point to what should be a landslide against the ruling United Russia Party.
But when the results are announced towards the end of this month, Vladimir Putin’s rubber-stamp-representatives are certain to emerge victorious. They are likely to have the 300+ seats in the Duma to rewrite the constitution.
