Ukrainian collaborator involved in Russia's sham 'referendums' killed in Ukrainian drone strike, Russian media claims
TASS identified the woman killed as Elena Astanina, the "chairperson of Precinct Electoral Commission No. 394," a so-called electoral body established by the Kremlin in the occupied city of Tokmak.
Russian state-controlled media outlet TASS reported on September 17 that Ukrainian collaborator Elena Astanina, who headed one of Russia's election commissions in the occupied territories, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Astanina, the chairperson of Precinct Electoral Commission No. 394 in the Russian-occupied city of Tokmak, had been involved in organizing Russia's sham referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts since 2022.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims, and Ukraine has not commented on the reported strike. The incident comes as Russia prepares for elections to the Russian State Duma scheduled for September 18-20, with Russian-installed authorities planning to hold the vote in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
Ukraine's parliament had previously condemned Russia's plans to hold State Duma elections in the occupied territories.
Brief written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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