‘The veneer of democracy is all that remains in Russia,’ EU foreign policy chief Kallas says. Brussels pledges new sanctions after State Duma elections.

The European Union is set to impose new sanctions on Russia following its recent State Duma elections, according to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. These measures will target election organizers and candidates who participated in the vote held in Ukraine's occupied territories, as well as individuals responsible for undermining free elections within Russia itself, the EU's top diplomat announced.

The September 18-20 election period demonstrated "the continued and deepening erosion of democracy in Russia," Kallas stated, emphasizing that the exclusion of Yabloko candidates further limited the options available to Russian voters. Yabloko, described by the EU as "one of the last remaining opposition forces and the only party with an anti-war platform," is currently marginalized in the political landscape.

The EU also reaffirmed that it does not recognize the electoral outcomes in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, viewing these so-called "elections" as blatant violations of international law, the UN Charter, and Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Moreover, Russia's refusal to permit OSCE observers to monitor these elections was cited as a denial of voters an independent, impartial assessment of the vote.

Kallas highlighted that the veneer of democracy that remains in Russia is now the only thing left standing amidst the political turmoil.