Putin Is Being Pressured To Postpone The State Duma Elections

• 24.06.2026, 9:04

Due to drone strikes.

Russian security officials are urging dictator Vladimir Putin to postpone the State Duma elections. This decision is being pushed by FSB leaders and the head of the National Guard, Putin’s friend and former bodyguard Viktor Zolotov.

This is reported by “Meduza”, citing two sources close to the Russian dictator’s administration.

According to one of the publication’s sources, “discussions about postponing—and in reality, canceling—the elections in the near future” began as early as the spring of 2026. Among the reasons cited are budget problems, rising prices, spending cuts, and layoffs at enterprises. Discussions about canceling or postponing the elections “intensified significantly” after attacks by Ukrainian drones on Moscow, sources report.

“It’s clear that [the situation] is only getting worse, and that always affects the government’s approval ratings. Given all the control measures in place, holding elections under such conditions is a bold undertaking. And in their [philosophy], if there’s no person, there’s no problem,” a source told the publication.

The source also added that security forces were guided by this “philosophy” both when they blocked the internet to restrict Russians’ access to independent media and when they tightened immigration laws following the terrorist attack at “Crocus City Hall.” The source clarified that discussions about postponing the State Duma elections are taking place only “at the level of informal talks.”

“There are no documents on the president’s desk, and perhaps there never will be,” the media outlet quotes its source as saying.

At the start of the full-scale invasion, security officials had already suggested that Putin cancel the gubernatorial elections, but at that time, the dictator was persuaded not to do so.