Russians vote on Sunday in the final stretch of a three-day parliamentary election that the ruling party is expected to win after a sweeping crackdown that crushed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny's movement and barred opponents from the ballot.

The expected win by the ruling United Russia party will be used by the Kremlin as proof of support for President Vladimir Putin (above) despite malaise over years of faltering living standards.

The party that backs Russia's 68-year-old leader faces a rating slump, state pollsters said, but remains more popular than its closest rivals on the...