Prices are up, polls are down, and Kremlin officials think propaganda can fix the problem before the parliamentary elections, Meduza sources say
With Russia’s parliamentary elections less than a year away, the Kremlin has begun fine-tuning its information strategy. According to sources in major online newsrooms, officials are instructing loyal media outlets to flood the news cycle with positive coverage of United Russia’s social initiatives — an effort to blunt the ruling party’s falling ratings as rising prices erode public support. Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsev spoke with media employees and a political consultant for the Kremlin to find out how the campaign is taking shape.
With Russia’s State Duma elections set for September 2026, the Kremlin’s domestic policy team is pressuring state-run and pro-government media to step up coverage of ruling party United Russia’s social initiatives, according to two employees of major online news outlets who spoke to Meduza.
One said the party has been “carpet-bombing” newsrooms with press releases, which the Kremlin’s domestic policy team has instructed editors not to ignore. In some cases, journalists receive identical press releases from both United Russia and the Putin administration.
Editors also say they sometimes receive guidance on headlines. In particular, they’re told to make sure the party’s name is prominently featured.
Most of the coverage revolves around the party’s social initiatives. Pro-government outlets, for instance, were advised on how to write about a bill introduced by United Russia lawmaker Artyom Metelev that would change the rules for allocating student housing.
Metelev proposed giving priority to university students who are married or have children when assigning dorm rooms. The State Duma has already approved the bill in its second reading. For news coverage, the presidential administration suggested headlines such as: “Student families to receive dorm housing thanks to United Russia” and “United Russia helps student families secure dorm housing.”
The pro-government news outlets Lenta.ru and Gazeta.ru used the suggested headlines in their coverage, as did 5TV, a channel owned by a company with ties to the Russian government. The news program Vesti, which airs on the state-owned TV channel Rossiya 1, covered the initiative but omitted any mention of the ruling party in its headline, instead writing: “State Duma approves law granting dorm housing to student families.”
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Among other United Russia initiatives journalists were encouraged to highlight was a bill offering benefits to participants in the war against Ukraine. The pro-government online newspaper Vzglyad.ru, state news agency TASS, and Gazeta.ru all covered the proposal. It would grant free travel for two relatives of a wounded serviceman to his place of treatment and prioritize housing for police officers and National Guard members raising children with disabilities.
Another topic pro-government media were instructed to promote was United Russia organizing the transfer of military equipment to the front. The pro-Kremlin channel NTV and state-owned news outlet RIA Novosti both reported on it, placing the party’s name directly in their headlines. Lenta.ru also published a story but mentioned United Russia only in the subheadline.
Editors were likewise advised to cover the creation of a United Russia expert council tasked with drafting the party’s election platform. Major nationwide outlets ignored the development, but regional ones carried reports on it.
As Meduza reported previously, the ruling party has yet to settle on the slogans and core messaging of its campaign. Vladimir Yakushev, first deputy speaker of the Federation Council and head of United Russia’s general council, favors familiar slogans focused on “tangible results.” Alexander Kharichev, who heads the Kremlin unit responsible for monitoring social trends, favors a “conservative-patriotic” platform. Sergey Kiriyenko, who oversees the administration’s domestic policy bloc, favors messaging that hints at “post-war development.” (Kharichev is a Kiriyenko ally.)
A political consultant who works with the Putin administration’s domestic policy team told Meduza that the Kremlin and United Russia have relied on essentially the same campaign playbook for the past 20 years. A few months before every election, the information space fills with upbeat stories about the party’s work. The goal, he said, is to “knock down the party’s negative rating.”
This time, United Russia’s standing is being eroded by rising prices for food and utilities — one of the main concerns for Russian voters. A Meduza source in the presidential envoy’s office in the Northwestern Federal District said the party’s numbers across the district have fallen by about 10 percent in recent months, and by as much as 13–15 percent in St. Petersburg.
“People need to see that United Russia isn’t made up of complete assholes — that they’re actually doing something good,” the consultant joked. He added that regional governors will soon begin spotlighting the party in their social media posts and public appearances, emphasizing that infrastructure projects — from road repairs to renovations of state-funded institutions — are being carried out at United Russia’s initiative.
“With a steady stream of stories like that, you get the impression that in Russia, even the sun rises thanks to the party,” the source concluded.
Story by Andrey Pertsev