How Russia used parliamentary elections to legitimize occupation of Ukrainian territories
As Russia held its parliamentary elections from Sept. 18 to 20, it also organized, for the first time, the vote in Ukrainian territories that Russia illegally claims as its own. Ukraine and the European Union have rejected the vote as illegal. The purpose of holding the sham election in occupied territories goes far beyond choosing Russian lawmakers. Russia uses the elections in Ukrainian…
From September 18 to 20, Russia held parliamentary elections in Ukrainian territories it illegally claims as its own. Ukraine and the European Union have labeled the vote as illegal. The purpose of the sham election extends beyond selecting Russian lawmakers; Russia utilizes it to demonstrate that residents accept Russian rule and are integrated into the Russian political system, according to Ukrainian officials and human rights organizations.
Russian officials aim to showcase the population's support for Russia's political course to the world, as explained by Ukrainian election expert and historian Dmytro Bilyi. Russian authorities reported exceptionally high turnout in the occupied territories, exceeding 81% in Donetsk Oblast, nearly 80% in Luhansk Oblast, more than 79% in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and over 74% in Kherson Oblast.
By contrast, Russia's Central Election Commission reported a nationwide turnout of around 56%. The accuracy of these figures remains unverified, as no independent observers had unrestricted access, and voting occurred through mobile ballot boxes and door-to-door procedures. Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation highlighted the high turnout as part of a deliberate propaganda effort to project strong Russian support among occupied territories' residents.
Ukrainian election expert Alena Lunova suggested that Russian authorities were not genuinely counting votes but aiming for pre-set support targets for the ruling United Russia party. The process falls short of conventional election requirements, including competing candidates, free campaigning, independent observers, and transparent procedures.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
