Russia’s parliamentary election for the first time includes residents of regions that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine after the start of its full-scale invasion more than four-and-a half years ago, part of Kremlin efforts to cement its gains.
He noted that Russian soldiers involved in the fighting also will vote. In a speech on Wednesday (September 16, 2026), Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasised the importance of balloting in those regions for the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
Residents there will be voting for the Duma “for the first time since their reunification with Russia”. “Your choice and resolve will once again demonstrate that millions of people stand behind our fighters, that we are a united people, bound by shared values, historical memory, and love for the Motherland and that nobody can divide or intimidate us, undermine our statehood and political system,” Mr. Putin said.
Activists describe coercion to vote
Violeta Artemchuk, coordinator of the Donbas SOS human rights group who was among those who signed the statement, said members of local election commissions were going house to house, escorted by Russian troops and security agents, to force people to vote. “Holding Russian elections in the temporarily occupied territories is an attempt to use the electoral process to legitimise the Russian occupation and the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territories. The European Union does not, and will never recognise either the holding of these, so-called elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results”. Moscow-appointed authorities exert pressure on residents, threatening those who work in the public sector with dismissal if they fail to vote and making pensions and other social payments conditional on participating, Ms. “It’s nothing short of a mockery.
“We urge residents of the temporarily occupied territories, above all, to protect their lives and health and to look after their own safety,” the coalition said in a statement. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said the voting in Russian-held regions represented “another blatant violation of international law. Artemchuk said. “For instance, if a person with a disability or a pensioner relies on social assistance and does not take part in the voting, they could be added to a list of ‘individuals deemed disloyal’ to the so-called authorities and subsequently deprived of their benefits or humanitarian assistance,” she said. Any electoral procedures conducted by the Russian occupation authorities have nothing to do with democracy,” he said.
