How primaries work in Russia "Primaries" are internal party elections used to select a single candidate representing a political party in general elections. The process acts as an elimination round, helping a party field its strongest contender and preventing candidates from the same party from splitting the vote. In Russia, only one party holds primaries: the ruling Edinaya Rossiya one. Winners are determined by the number of votes they receive. In recent years, voting has shifted to the primarily online mode. This system is highly vulnerable to manipulation. For instance, managers and supervisors frequently pressure public-sector employees to vote for specific pre-approved candidates. In March 2024, United Russia introduced a major advantage for veterans of the war in Ukraine: they receive a 25% vote bonus in the primaries. "This is how we protect, support, and guide our boys all the way to the finals of the preliminary voting," said Sergey Perminov, Deputy Secretary of the party's General Council. Securing the second spot on the party list is, as a matter of fact, a guaranteed ticket to parliament. For example, in the Orenburg region, local district head Nursultan Mussalageev — accused of committing war crimes in Bucha by the Ukrainian authorities — is getting right to the elections after placing second on the party list. By the numbers According to the calculations made by 7x7, only 9% of war veterans who entered the primaries this year actually won. Out of 478 veterans who applied, only 43 succeeded. Of those winners, 27 took first place in single-mandate districts, 14 won through party lists, and two managed to win both on the list and in their districts. How the system pushes veterans out Artem Kornyuchenkov, a Smolensk City Council member and war veteran, withdrew his candidacy from the Edinaya Rossiya primaries for the regional State Duma. He explained his decision by saying: "Today, we have a vital task to form a veteran community and build the Association of SMO [Special Military Operation] Veterans in the Smolensk Region." However, independent media reports that the leading candidate in that district is actually a representative of the Spravedlivaya Rossiya party. Here, it is important to understand that Russia’s official opposition parties often coordinate with the authorities behind closed doors. The Kremlin frequently reserves specific districts for loyal political figures, leaving little room for other candidates. In the Samara region, another veteran candidate Alexander Mileev faced significant public pressure. He was forced to prove his combat experience after his rival — a fellow veteran with a "Hero of Russia" (Geroi Rossii) status Denis Portnyagin — demanded an official review of Mileev’s military record. Competition in the 2026 Edinaya Rossiya primaries is genuinely intense, with an average of about five candidates competing for each seat. But these stories of withdrawals and conflicts among veterans suggest that wartime status alone does not guarantee a political career. A similar trend can be seen in the "Time of Heroes" (Vremya Geroev) program which is promoted by the authorities as a pathway to public office for veterans. In reality, high-profile political and managerial positions rarely go to rank-and-file soldiers. Instead, those are typically awarded to people who already have extensive experience and connections within the existing political system. “War tourism" for the old guard Meanwhile, the status of a "veteran candidate" remains highly attractive to career politicians. Some deliberately deploy to the front for only a few months in order to secure the 25% primary vote bonus. This strategy has reportedly been used by the ultra-conservative St. Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, the Chechen MP Adam Delimkhanov, and the Speaker of the Karelian Parliament, Elissan Shandalovich. At the same time, actual career military personnel rarely join Edinaya Rossiya. According to the political analysis conducted by the Political Sins channel on Telegram, the new rule is being used by established politicians to strengthen their own positions rather than helping veterans launch political careers. Ultimately, while the Kremlin portrays war veterans as Russia's "new political elite," the political system appears reluctant to replace its established network of loyal bureaucrats and experienced politicians. | 
