Ukraine sanctions 44 people involved in Russia's sham parliamentary elections in occupied territories

On September 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announced sanctions against 44 individuals involved in Russia's fraudulent parliamentary elections held in the country's occupied territories. This action came after Russia conducted elections from September 18 to 20 in these regions for the first time, in an attempt to demonstrate that residents support Russian rule and are part of Russia's political system.

The sanctions target those who aided Russia in occupying parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and Crimea.

Some of the sanctioned individuals had previously been elected to Russian-backed local councils within the occupied territories. Additionally, former Ukrainian lawmaker Yurii Onyshchuk, who began collaborating with Russian authorities following Russia's occupation of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was included in the sanctions list. Ukraine considers the parliamentary elections in occupied territories illegal, stating that their results hold no legal validity.

The elections were marred by widespread falsifications, coerced voting, and predetermined turnout figures, according to Ukraine's presidential office. Kyiv accused Russia of using the electoral process to solidify its control over the occupied areas and legitimize its efforts to annex them. Russian authorities reported exceptionally high voter turnout in the occupied territories, ranging from over 74% to nearly 81%, which significantly exceeded the 56% turnout reported nationwide by Russia's Central Election Commission.

However, these figures could not be independently verified, as there were no independent observers granted unrestricted access, and voting took place through mobile ballot boxes and door-to-door procedures. Notably, the number of voters in the Russian-occupied portion of Donetsk Oblast was double the actual population residing there.