President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has said veterans are the “new elite,” but selecting them as candidates is a risk.

© Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times

Russia is staging an election that matters to almost no one — except President Vladimir V. Putin and his inner circle.

© Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times

Russian elections like the parliamentary vote that begins today are hardly free. But they are critical to the government as a source of legitimacy.

© Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times