In wartime Russia, veterans who fought in Ukraine are running for parliament

Russia is running nearly 200 Ukraine war veterans as election candidates to portray them as a "true elite" and lure more recruits.
Analysts say the push is mostly symbolic — most vets get low-power jobs, face unemployment or injury, and some have been linked to crime.
The tightly managed vote (including occupied Ukrainian territories) spotlights high-profile wounded fighters like Vladislav Golovin as part of a Kremlin propaganda effort.