Russia holds for the first time an election to the Duma, the lower house of Parliament, with the participation of residents of Ukrainian regions occupied and annexed by Moscow during the war.
Ukraine classified the vote as illegal and asked other countries and international organizations not to recognize its results.
The nationwide voting began on Friday (18) and ends on Sunday (20). In the occupied areas of Ukraine and in some Russian border regions, however, the process began at the end of August for security reasons, according to Russian authorities.
Moscow says there are more than 3.5 million voters in the areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia under its control. Russia announced the annexation of the four territories in September 2022, despite not fully controlling them. The annexation is not internationally recognized.
In a polling station in the Donetsk part controlled by Russia, voters deposited ballots into a ballot box while an armed Russian soldier remained on site, according to the Associated Press. The vote also takes place in Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move equally not recognized internationally.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that residents of the four regions would vote for the Duma for the first time since what he called the “reunification with Russia.” According to him, Russian troops involved in the war would also participate in the election.
The European Union said it would not recognize the vote or its results in the occupied areas. “It is another blatant violation of international law,” said the European Commission spokesperson, Christian Wigand.
A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights organizations urged residents of the occupied regions not to participate. The coordinator of the Donbas SOS group, Violeta Artemchuk, said that members of electoral commissions visit homes accompanied by military and security agents to pressure residents to vote.
According to Artemchuk, public employees would be threatened with dismissal if they did not participate, while retirees and other beneficiaries of social programs could face pressure related to the receipt of payments and assistance. The allegations have not been independently confirmed as cited by the AP.
