Ukraine has denounced Russia’s decision to include residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in its parliamentary elections, calling the voting illegal. Russia annexed the territories in September 2022, a move that is not internationally recognised.
The nationwide vote began on Friday and is scheduled to run until Sunday, while balloting in the Russian-held Ukrainian territories and some areas on Russia’s side of the border began at the end of last month. Russian officials cited security reasons for the extended voting period.
Kyiv urges governments not to recognise the result
Ukrainian authorities have urged foreign governments and international organisations not to recognise the election in the occupied territories. They also warned Ukrainians that helping organise voting for the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, could carry criminal liability.
The European Commission called the voting “another blatant violation of international law”. Its spokesperson, Christian Wigand, said the European Union would not recognise either the elections in the temporarily occupied territories or their results.
Human rights groups report pressure on residents
A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups called on residents of the Russian-held territories to stay away from the polls and prioritise their safety. The groups said Russia was using the electoral process to try to legitimise its occupation and attempted annexation.
Violeta Artemchuk of Donbas SOS, one of the groups in the coalition, said local election commission members were going house to house with Russian troops and security agents to force people to vote. Russian authorities say the four territories have more than 3.5 million voters.
Other developments around the war
The United States approved a possible $2.68bn sale of air defence development upgrades, equipment and related services to Ukraine. The proposed sale remains subject to congressional review.
Luxembourg is investigating drone sightings that temporarily suspended operations at its main airport overnight. Prime Minister Luc Frieden said potentially larger drones had been seen in the country’s airspace over several days, but it was too early to determine their origin.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Ukrainian and Russian positions on ending attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea remained difficult to reconcile. Turkey’s first priority, he said, was extracting grain from the Black Sea. Read the context: Russian strikes damage Ukrainian ports as protests continue over defence shake-up.
What happens next
Russia’s parliamentary vote is scheduled to continue through Sunday, while the proposed US military sale remains subject to congressional review.
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