President Vladimir Putin has called on Russians to make their voice heard by casting ballots in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The nation will elect a new State Duma in what the president described as a pivotal vote that will “shape our future.”

The upcoming elections are the first parliamentary vote that Russia will hold during the continued military campaign against Ukraine. In 2024, the nation held presidential elections amid the ongoing hostilities, with Putin securing a landslide victory by gaining 88% of the vote.

“We know what Russia is fighting for,” the president said in an address published by the Kremlin on Wednesday. Every person who “understands their responsibility for [the nation’s] future is helping bring that victory closer,” he added, calling voting “an act of responsibility and a contribution to strengthening the country.”

The upcoming vote will determine who will represent the people in the federal parliament for the next five years, Putin said, adding that “every voter’s voice matters” and expressing his confidence that the “the most worthy and capable candidates” will prevail.

The president also praised the soldiers fighting on the front lines, calling their “courage and devotion” an example for the entire nation.

“Your choice and your will shall once again show that millions of people stand behind our fighters; that we are a united people, bound together by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland; and that no one will succeed in dividing or intimidating us,” Putin said.

“I urge you to exercise your constitutional right and make a considered, responsible decision, so that the election results demonstrate the maturity and resilience of Russian society. This will be our shared response to those who seek to weaken Russia, hold back its development, and deprive us of our sovereignty and our right to determine our own destiny.”

The 2026 parliamentary elections will take place on September 18-20, with a total of ten parties contesting 450 seats in the lower house of the Russian parliament.

In July, Putin accused Kiev of seeking to destabilize Russian society through “terrorist attacks” targeting civilian and energy infrastructure. He also expressed his confidence that Ukraine’s strategy would fail since the goal set by Kiev was simply “impossible to achieve” due to the resilience of the Russian economy, energy system, and people.

Watch the full RT report on the Russian State Duma elections below.