Russia’s “New Elite”
President Vladimir Putin has described Russian soldiers as the country’s “true elite.” In a 2025 meeting, he said: “They will be our successors. We should think about that."
Ukraine war veterans have been gradually elevated to senior political positions for several years but Russia's parliamentary elections in September 2026 were the biggest “injection” yet of military personnel into civilian government. According to Vlast’s calculations, 38 veterans were elected to the State Duma.
What do we know about them?
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