0655GMT//Putin's United Russia party wins (most) regional elections in Russia; Communist Party causes upset in Siberian city; India sends military unit to Russia-Belarus wargames

REGIONAL ELECTIONS: Final results on Monday from Russia's regional elections secured wins for 19 United Russia governor candidates. United Russia is the party of Vladimir Putin. The only non-United Russia candidate to win a governor's position was Oleg Nikolaev, a member of the pro-Kremlin A Just Russia party. He was re-elected as governor of the small Chuvashia region in central Russia. (COMMENT: No surprises here in what was a drab and underplayed election.)

The winning margins for the United Russia governor candidates were between 88% (Tatarstan) and 61% (Irkutsk). Turnouts also fluctuated from 73% (Jewish Autonomous Region) to 31% (Irkutsk). (COMMENT: The turnout disparity is perhaps more interesting here. The Kremlin has brought in and encouraged online voting over the past couple of years, mainly, many analysts have said, to manipulate and massage voter turnout numbers and winning margins. So why such a low turnout in Irkutsk? It is generally seen as a difficult region for the Kremlin, with local issues angering people. Even the pro-Kremlin Vedomosti newspaper admitted that it was easier to defeat the popular Communist Party by "deliberately 'drying up' the vote".)

Various elections were also held in 81 regions at different levels, again mainly delivering wins for United Russia. There were a handful of exceptions. In the town of Chernogorsk in Khakassia, Siberia, the Communist Party candidate won the mayoral election. Yelena Gopina beat her United Russia rival with 29.2% of the vote to 27.6%. In a mayoral election in Pokrovsk, Yakutia, Viktor Konstantinov, a candidate for the New People's Party, also beat United Russia. (COMMENT: It's harder for the Kremlin to control local elections and in many ways a couple of losses suit its narrative that Russia is a functioning democracy – although most Russians understand that this is nonsense. Even so, Gopina's win in Chernogorsk and Konstantinov's win in Pokrovsk show that anti-Kremlin sentiment can push through the propaganda noise. )

BARTER DEALS: Russia is increasingly falling back on barter deals with China to skirt Western sanctions, according to an investigation by the Reuters news agency. It said that Russian wheat has been traded for Chinese cars. In another deal, Russian flax seeds were exchanged for household appliances and building materials. (COMMENT: Chinese banks have slowed processing Russian financial transactions because they are worried about secondary sanctions from the US. These barter deals are an attempt to skip around potential secondary sanctions.)

DRONE PRODUCTION: Russia is now capable of producing 30,000 Shahed drones per year and may be able to double this by the end of 2026, the New York Times reported. The Shahed drones are produced under licence from Iran and have become one of the Kremlin's favourite weapons. (COMMENT: Putin prioritised drone production in 2023, a year into the war. This is the outcome. The main factory is outside Kazan in Tatarstan. These Shahed drones have now become one of the Russian military's favourite weapons. So far this year, Russia has fired 34,000 drones at Ukraine. That's a nine-fold increase on the same period in 2024.)

INDIA SEND SOLDIERS TO RUSSIA WARGAMES: India has sent a unit of 65 soldiers to take part in the annual Russia-Belarus military exercises this week, the Times newspaper reported. It quoted a statement from the Indian foreign ministry saying that the Indian soldiers are taking part in "tactical training" and "special weapons practice" in the Belarus-based wargames. (COMMENT: This is the first time since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine that India has taken part in the annual Zapad wargames. It shows where India's loyalties increasingly lie. Earlier this month, Indian PM Narendra Modi travelled to China to meet with Putin. There, he said that India stands "shoulder to shoulder" with Russia. India's relations with the US have fallen apart since the US imposed additional tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.)

ADAM KADYROV'S NEW WATCH: Adam Kadyrov, the 17-year-old son of Chechen hardman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has posed with a new watch valued at around $500,000. The Jacob & Co watch Epic SF24, encrusted with 104 diamonds, was identified by the RBK Russian news website. (COMMENT: Although Adam is Kadyrov's youngest son, he has been handpicked to be the next leader of Chechnya. And he had already developed a taste for the high life, showing off expensive designer clothes and jewellery and racing around Dubai in sports cars. Even Russian media linked to the Kremlin mock Adam.)