What happened on the day of September 21st. The main thing

In Russia, the counting of votes in the State Duma elections continues, and the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, spoke about the turnout and the work of observers. The FSB has detained a suspect in Donetsk who is preparing a terrorist attack near a polling station. Russian President Vladimir Putin held telephone talks, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov explained the budget parameters and spending priorities. All the details and other main events of the day are in the "Izvestia" digest.

Counting of votes in the State Duma elections

In Russia, the counting of votes in the elections of deputies of the State Duma of the ninth convocation continues. According to the latest data from the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia on September 21, after processing 97.37% of the protocols, "United Russia" receives 57.96% of the votes on the party list. ""The Communist Party of the Russian Federation" is gaining 13.67%, the Liberal Democratic Party — 8.96%, "New People" — 7.91%, "Fair Russia" — 5.1%. ""The Pensioners"" party gets 1.97%, ""Greens" — 1.15%, ""Communists of Russia" — 0.85%, "Rodina" — 0.71%, the Party of Direct Democracy — 0.35%.

The turnout in remote voting reached 90.88%. The total turnout in the elections was 59.32% — more than 62.6 million citizens took part in the voting. "United Russia" also won in 208 single—member districts, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation won five such districts, the Liberal Democratic Party - two.

The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, said that the elections were held amid an unprecedented level of external threats and cyber attacks, but they did not disrupt the voting process. According to her, the elections were monitored by more than 500,000 observers. 15 observers in eight regions were removed by court order for attempts to interfere with the work of election commissions.

Ahmed Barchire, Chairman of the delegation of the Republic of Chad, told "Izvestia" that foreign observers were surprised by the possibility of remote voting in Russia. He noted that what he saw during the election was different from the information he had previously heard about the Russian vote.

Terrorist attack at the polling station

In Donetsk, the FSB detained a local resident who colluded with members of the Ukrainian special services and was preparing a terrorist attack near a polling station on the day of the election of deputies of the State Duma. The perpetrator was supposed to set off an explosive device at a time when a large number of people were gathering. They managed to detain him before the crime was committed.

According to the FSB, the Ukrainian side instructed the man to take 20 kg of explosives from the cache and take an unmanned aerial vehicle with an explosive device, fuses and a remote detonation board. In addition, there was another 2 kg of plastic explosive in the package. For the terrorist attack, the curator promised the detainee $ 10 thousand. The person involved in the video admitted that he agreed to cooperate because of the money.

Putin discussed the international agenda and modernization of border crossings

On September 21, Putin held telephone conversations with the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Tokayev and Mirziyoyev congratulated the Russian leader on the results of the elections to the State Duma. A similar congratulatory message was delivered by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, who, on behalf of the Belarusian people and himself, noted the successful holding of a single voting day.

In a conversation with Tokayev, Putin also discussed the bilateral agenda and cooperation in the Eurasian space ahead of the summit of the heads of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which will be held in Turkmenistan in early October. With Mirziyoyev, the Russian leader discussed the further development of allied relations and the schedule of upcoming bilateral and multilateral events.

At a meeting with Valery Pikalev, head of the Federal Customs Service (FCS), Putin instructed to accelerate the modernization of border checkpoints in the Khabarovsk Territory. The work is currently scheduled to be completed by the end of 2030, but the president called this period too long due to the growth of traffic flows. In addition, Putin noted that the QR code system at the border works without queues and problems.

Siluanov — about the federal budget

Siluanov explained the budget parameters and spending priorities at the XI Moscow Financial Forum (IFF). He said that the Russian economy has already developed immunity to Western sanctions. According to him, the government will consider the draft federal budget this week, which the Finance Ministry has formed in a balanced manner so as not to create additional pressure on the economy and not increase the cost of money.

The budget is calculated based on the oil cut-off price of $50 per barrel. Siluanov noted that the Ministry of Finance advocates additional expenditures only if there is a clear economic effect and takes into account their impact on the budget balance, the financial market and the fulfillment of government obligations. There is a 2% deficit for 2027, which, according to the minister, carries no risks.

One of the main priorities of the budget for the next three years will be spending on defense and security. At the same time, Siluanov assured that all social obligations of the state will be fulfilled in full. He also said that the Ministry of Finance continues to accumulate funds from the National Welfare Fund (NWF) as a reserve in case of changes in oil prices.

Promotion of the Russian Armed Forces

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have taken control of the settlements of Polnaya and Novoaleksandrovka in the Kharkiv region. Units of the "North" group of forces continue to expand their control zone in the areas of Petropavlovsk and Prikolotnoye and tighten the encirclement. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) lost more than 35 soldiers, an armored combat vehicle, an artillery piece and a ground-based robotic system. The liberation of two settlements complicates the supply of the encircled AFU group.

The Russian military also attacked Ukraine's energy and transport infrastructure, military airfields, ammunition and fuel depots, and UAV production and storage facilities. A gas distribution station providing gas to enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine was hit in Boyarka. Russian stormtroopers told about the way to liberate the Golden Well in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

The United States and Belarus are preparing a deal on potash supplies

US President Donald Trump has said that the United States is working on a major deal to purchase potash from Belarus. According to him, the price will be significantly lower than what the American side is currently paying to Canada. Trump also linked the possible agreement to benefits for U.S. farmers and livestock producers.