The main semantic line of the United Russia campaign in the new subjects of the Russian Federation is that they are connected with the whole country

The campaign in new regions is taking into account their specifics: deputies of legislative assemblies are elected for the first time after joining the Russian Federation, and martial law is in effect in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Candidates for regional parliaments were nominated by United Russia on August 2 in four constituent entities of the Russian Federation at once.

At the same time, a background campaign is underway in the regions, party campaigning is at a minimum, sources in the DPR and LPR say. The main semantic line: new regions are connected with the whole country, one of them explains.

The agenda actively includes the assistance of the regions-chiefs in the life of the territories, the interlocutors of Vedomosti say. It is important for residents of the new regions to feel the attention from the “big Russia”, part of the effort is aimed at reminding about this, says another source.

Vedomosti wrote on May 20, 2022 that the Kremlin instructed the regions to help the DNR and LNR. Subsequently, the subjects of the Russian Federation began to take patronage over the territories of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Most of the old subjects of the Russian Federation have sponsored territories.

Voter mandates collected by United Russia candidates are subsequently discussed with sponsoring regions, says an interlocutor close to the ruling party. During the discussion, plans may be adjusted.

In the LPR, “United Russia”, for example, reminds of the regions-chiefs in outdoor advertising. In this case, the billboards depict an object that helped to restore the old subject of the Russian Federation, and a gratitude is placed in its address.

Lugansk thanks Moscow for the overhaul of the school. “Thanks to the Krasnoyarsk Territory!” – says on a billboard in Sverdlovsk with the image of school buses that arrived here from the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

“In the DPR, it’s a little different, but in general, campaigning is sharpened as follows: what’s done is done with the participation of United Russia,” says a political strategist of one of the non-parliamentary parties working in the new regions. The Donetsk republican branch of the “United Russia” mainly places on campaign materials local residents – politicians, teachers, miners. But the regions-chiefs there thank you.

Campaigning is carried out not without curiosities: for example, QR codes are sometimes placed on outdoor advertising, although mobile Internet does not work well in new regions.

According to an interlocutor close to United Russia, there will be other billboards telling directly about the elections. But this is the next stage of the campaign.

Due to martial law in the new territories, the restriction on holding public events is justified, electoral lawyer Garegin Mitin told Vedomosti. “Everyone understands that any rally or meeting is an excellent target. As for campaigning in the media, printed materials and banners, everything goes on as usual,” he explained.

The key task of parties in new regions now is self-presentation, says Viktor Poturemsky, director of political analysis at Insomar. “In the new territories, there is not enough information about the parties, the Russian political system, etc. Therefore, the main task is to answer who we are, what we do and what image of the future we offer our voters,” he told Vedomosti.