United Russia revealed its front-runners for the State Duma ballot on Sunday, placing a wounded Ukraine war veteran and a state television war correspondent at the head of its candidate list, party officials said at the party's pre-election congress.
Party chairman and former president Dmitry Medvedev announced that 29-year-old Vladislav Golovin and television war correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny would top United Russia's list for the parliamentary election scheduled for September. Medvedev made the announcement during the gathering of party members.
The party's top five candidates also include Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, both cited as prominent and popular figures within Russia. The list is rounded out by Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, who was named among the leading candidates.
Golovin became widely known in 2022 as a naval infantry platoon commander during the battle for the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where he was wounded. Poddubny, a state television war correspondent, was wounded in 2024 during fighting in Russia's Kursk region, according to the party's announcement.
United Russia has historically secured large majorities in national elections it has contested. Current polling, however, indicates the party's popularity is notably lower than that of President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, observers noted that United Russia is likely to secure a substantial majority in the State Duma election, supported by Putin's endorsement and a parliamentary opposition described as tame and broadly aligned with the Kremlin's position on the conflict in Ukraine.
The announcement took place against the backdrop of an ongoing war and domestic disruptions, including fuel shortages attributed to Ukrainian drone strikes. Those conditions form part of the broader environment in which the party is campaigning.
President Putin secured a fresh presidential term in 2024, a victory that will keep him in office through at least 2030. Putin has repeatedly expressed the view that veterans of the Ukraine war should enter politics and form a new elite, a stance reflected in the selection of front-line figures for United Russia's candidate list.
While the party frequently features prominent national figures among its nominees, these high-profile individuals do not always take up seats in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma. The formal list of candidates and the roles they will assume, if any, remain to be finalized as the campaign moves toward the September vote.