Russia holds parliamentary polls in areas seized from Ukraine

Russia is holding parliamentary elections that for the first time include residents of Ukrainian territories annexed by Moscow during the war, as the Kremlin seeks to consolidate its control over the regions.

Voting across Russia began on Friday and will continue until Sunday, while polling in Russian-held parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia has been under way since late August. Russian authorities cited security concerns for the extended voting period.

Moscow says the four regions, which it calls the “new regions”, have more than 3.5 million registered voters. Russia declared them annexed in September 2022 despite not having full control over any of the territories. The annexations have not been internationally recognised.

Voting is also taking place in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

At a polling station in the Russian-held part of Donetsk, voters were seen casting ballots while an armed Russian soldier stood nearby.

Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the voting in the annexed territories in a speech on Wednesday, saying residents there would be voting for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, “for the first time since their reunification with Russia”.

Russian soldiers involved in the war are also eligible to vote, Putin said.

The election is the first wartime parliamentary election to the State Duma and comes as Moscow seeks to demonstrate political support for its war and reinforce its claims over the occupied territories.

“Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters,” Putin said, adding that Russia was a “united people” bound by shared values and historical memory.

Kyiv rejects vote

Ukraine has condemned the elections in the occupied territories as illegal and called on foreign governments and international organisations not to recognise the voting or its results.

Kyiv has also warned Ukrainians that participating in organising the elections could result in criminal liability.

A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups urged residents of Russian-held areas to stay away from the polls, saying the elections were an attempt to legitimise Russia's occupation and annexation claims.

European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand described the voting as “another blatant violation of international law” and said the European Union would not recognise the elections or their results in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

Rights groups allege pressure on voters

Human rights activists have also alleged that residents are being pressured to participate.

Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator of the Donbas SOS human rights group, said members of local election commissions were going door to door accompanied by Russian troops and security agents to encourage or force residents to vote.

She alleged that Moscow-appointed authorities were threatening public-sector employees with dismissal if they did not participate and linking pensions and other social benefits to voting.

Artemchuk said some elderly and disabled residents could face being labelled “disloyal” and potentially losing benefits or humanitarian assistance if they refused to vote.

These allegations could not be independently verified.

Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst at the Kyiv-based Penta Center, criticised the elections, saying procedures conducted under Russian occupation could not be considered democratic.

The voting comes as fighting continues across parts of Ukraine, with Russia and Ukraine still disputing control over the territories Moscow claims to have annexed.