Pro-Putin party gets record 355 parliamentary seats while anti-war party wins tiny regional foothold

The pro-Putin United Russia party won a record number of seats in the country's national parliament, according to official election results that were nearly complete Monday. 

The anti-war Yabloko party appeared to have won a small foothold in one regional parliament, Reuters reported. 

The three-day election in the state Duma had been the first since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. President Vladamir Putin had said the election was a test of support for the war. 

The outcome wasn't a surprise, and critics have charged that the tightly controlled political system doesn't allow for genuine dissent. Many of Yabloko's candidates were banned.