Moscow, Sep 11: Russia’s Central Election Commission said on Monday that the country’s ruling party won the most votes in elections held in occupied Ukrainian regions as Russian authorities attempt to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.
Voting for Russia-installed legislatures began last week. According to the Central Election Commission, lawmakers from the ruling party, United Russia, came out on top in the four Ukrainian regions Moscow annexed illegally in 2022 – Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia – and on the Crimean Peninsula, which the Kremlin annexed in 2014.
Balloting in the occupied areas of Ukraine has been denounced by Kyiv and the West as a sham and a violation of international law. On Friday, Ukrainian officials urged other countries not to recognize the results of the vote, which the Foreign Ministry called “fake elections.” The European Union warned Russia on Monday that there would be “consequences” for those involved in staging elections in Ukrainian regions seized by the Kremlin. “We strongly reject this further futile attempt by Russia to legitimise or normalise its illegal military control and attempted annexation of parts of Ukrainian territories,” the 27-nation bloc said.
The votes in the illegally annexed Ukrainian regions were timed to coincide with nationwide elections for local legislatures and governors across 16 Russian regions. (AP)
