The Russian Federation is preparing “elections” to the State Duma in the occupied territories of Ukraine
Russia has begun active preparations to hold so-called “elections” to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which are scheduled for September 2026.
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation.
In particular, the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has instructed that conditions be created for the safe conduct of voting, specifically emphasising the need to ensure the “security of the expression of will” in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
At the same time, in the occupied territories the pro-government party United Russia has announced the creation of organisational committees to conduct primary elections. This mechanism provides for the selection of candidates, including from among local collaborators, in order to form a “representative body” and create the illusion of full integration of the temporarily occupied territories into the Russian Federation.
“It is important to understand that any elections organised by an occupying state in a captured territory are illegitimate according to the norms of international law. Ukraine and the international community will not recognise their results, and individuals ‘elected’ in such ‘elections’ will not have legal status. The purpose of these steps is to legitimise the occupation through the imitation of an electoral process,” the Center for Countering Disinformation emphasised.
In addition, during a speech at a meeting of the board of the Federal Security Service, Putin instructed security structures to ensure the so-called “sovereignty” of the electoral process ahead of the State Duma elections of the Russian Federation that are expected to take place in September 2026.
At the same time, it is noted that after nearly four years of the full-scale war, millions of people have found themselves in territories controlled by Russia, where they are forced to live under conditions of a constant humanitarian crisis. Residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions face serious problems, including a lack of stable heating, interruptions in electricity supply, and shortages of drinking water.
It should be recalled that Russia plans to organise a new attempt to legitimise the occupied territories of Ukraine through the State Duma elections in 2026, including in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
