Russia Holds Parliamentary Elections in Annexed Ukrainian Regions

Russia has initiated its parliamentary elections, extending voting for the first time to residents in regions it illegally annexed from Ukraine. This move is part of the Kremlin's effort to solidify its territorial gains.

Ukrainian officials have vehemently condemned the election as illegal. Human rights activists report that residents in these occupied territories are being coerced into participating. Balloting began on Friday and will conclude on Sunday, though voting in the annexed areas and some border regions commenced earlier due to security concerns.

Russian authorities claim that the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, referred to by Moscow as the “new regions,” encompass over 3.5 million voters. These territories were annexed by Russia in September 2022, despite not being fully under Moscow's control, and the annexation lacks international recognition.

At a polling station in the Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region, voters cast their ballots under the watchful eye of an armed Russian soldier. Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the significance of these votes for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, stating that residents in these regions are voting for the Duma for the first time since their reunification with Russia. He also noted that Russian soldiers engaged in combat would participate in the election.

Voting is also taking place in Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula that Russia illegally annexed in 2014. This wartime election to the State Duma is intended to demonstrate the Kremlin's political dominance and garner public support for the ongoing conflict.

Putin stated, “Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland and that nobody can divide or intimidate us, undermine our statehood and political system.”

Kyiv has called the elections illegal and urged foreign governments and international organizations not to recognize them. Ukraine has warned its citizens that organizing the vote could result in criminal liability.

A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups has advised residents in Russian-held territories to avoid the polls. The coalition stated, “We urge residents of the temporarily occupied territories, above all, to protect their lives and health and to look after their own safety. Holding Russian elections in the temporarily occupied territories is an attempt to use the electoral process to legitimize the Russian occupation and the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territories.”

Christian Wigand, a spokesperson for the European Commission, described the voting in Russian-held regions as "another blatant violation of international law." He added, "The European Union does not, and will never recognize either the holding of these, so-called elections, sham elections, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results.”

Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator for the Donbas SOS human rights group, reported that members of local election commissions, escorted by Russian troops and security agents, are visiting homes to compel residents to vote. She also stated that Moscow-appointed authorities are pressuring public sector employees with dismissal if they do not vote and are making pensions and social payments conditional on participation.

“For instance, if a person with a disability or a pensioner relies on social assistance and does not take part in the ‘voting,’ they could be added to a list of individuals deemed ‘disloyal’ to the so-called authorities and subsequently deprived of their benefits or humanitarian assistance,” Artemchuk said.

Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst at the Kyiv-based Penta Center, characterized elections held at gunpoint as a "farce." He commented, “The very fact that voting takes place amid endless shelling and bombing reflects the Kremlin’s attitude toward the people and the electoral process in the occupied territories. It’s nothing short of a mockery. Any electoral procedures conducted by the Russian occupation authorities have nothing to do with democracy.”