Russians cast votes for Duma polls in Keralam capital - The HinduPublished - September 12, 2026 10:13 pm IST - ThiruvananthapuramRussian nationals residing in Keralam and tourists cast their votes in the State capital ahead of the elections to the Russian Parliament on Saturday.Elections are being held to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, from September 18 to 20.As part of arrangements by embassies and consulates around the world to allow Russians around the world to cast their votes, a polling station was arranged at the Russia’s Honorary Consulate here too.Aleksandr Fomin, Deputy Consul General, Chennai; Ratheesh Nair, Honorary Consul of Russia; and Anastasiia Pismennaia and Sergei Kliukin of the Chennai Consulate led the arrangements.On Sunday, voting will be organised for Russian nationals working at the Kudankulam nuclear plant.Mr. Ratheesh Nair said that since opening in Thiruvananthapuram in 2008, Russia’s Honorary Consulate had made arrangements for casting of votes for both Presidential and Parliamentary elections. Usually, the number of voters for Presidential elections was more. Moreover, as these were held in March, the voters included a number of tourists. The conflict in West Asia, however, had led to a dip in the number of visitors from Russia. Opportunities for online voting too are available. Despite this, around 10 voters turned up to cast their votes, Mr. Ratheesh Nair said.Published - September 12, 2026 10:13 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }