Millions of Russians are preparing to cast their vote in Sunday's parliamentary election that will set the stage for Vladimir Putin's presidential comeback next year.
The ruling party, United Russia and its leader, Putin, have experienced a recent dip in popularity.
A November opinion poll put the Russian prime minister's approval rating at its lowest since 2000 and it's predicted that United Russia is likely to lose the two-thirds majority it has held since 2007.
We travelled to one region where the local authorities seem determined not to let increasing discontent affect the parliamentary election result.
Kurgan Oblast is home to just under one million Russians. In one city neighbourhood, people's homes are decaying.
Elderly women and young mums with toddlers were desperate to show us the appalling conditions they live in.
As we entered each apartment, damp hit us in the face - and each room sat on festering water, stagnant beneath the floorboards.
Amid the mosquito-infested gloom a one month old baby lay sleeping.
Breaking down in tears, her grandmother said: "We have to cover her with a blanket to save her from bites. They breed in the basement.
"It is really hard for me. I am only 40-years-old and I was left without a job. And this is just killing me that I cannot help my grandchildren."
Vladimir Putin's party United Russia has been in charge in Kurgan for 15 years. It is, according to increasingly influential bloggers, "the party of swindlers and thieves".
But the people we met in Kurgan said they care little for politics - and further into the city, discontent amongst the professionals was also brewing.
Backed by members of the opposition, doctors, nurses and paramedics are protesting against a recent 30% cut in their wages. The average salary of a medic in the city is now £100 a month.
After threatening arrests the police merely film the small rally but local opposition members claim they're involved in dirty electioneering.
A Just Russia party member showed us mobile phone footage which they claimed was of local police seizing their campaign newspaper. The smartphone is becoming a potent weapon across Russia as election violations are filmed and posted on the internet.
Member Konstantin Beschetnov said: "The governor of Kurgan region is doing this because we are too critical.
"His interest should be to improve the situation in the region - this is the main idea. Why should we fight? We should work together."
The newspaper was their only way of reaching voters, but hours after we filmed them handing it out on the street, the authorities put an outright ban on it for "negatively depicting" the regions United Russia governor, Oleg Bogomolov.
We did ask to speak him to about this but no one got back to us.
Sunday should reveal whether people take such mounting discontent to the polls.
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