Russia plans elections in occupied Ukraine, even as counteroffensive builds

KYIV — As Ukraine’s counteroffensive ramps up, Russia announced plans to conduct local elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine, where active fighting is taking place.

Elections in “the new subjects of the Russian Federation will be held on a single voting day on September 10, 2023,” the Russian Central Election Commission said in a statement Thursday.

Russia calls territories it occupies in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson “the new subjects of the Russian Federation.” In last year’s sham referenda in the regions, according to Russia, the majority of Ukrainians voted in favor of joining Russia.  

The U.N. and a majority of countries around the world condemned the referenda as illegitimate and undemocratic as they were conducted during the armed conflict and under occupation. Since then, the Kherson region has been liberated by the Ukrainian army.  

The U.N. and a majority of countries around the world condemned the referenda as illegitimate and undemocratic as they were conducted during the armed conflict and under occupation. Since then, the Kherson region has been liberated by the Ukrainian army.  

Announcing the 2023 elections, the Russian central commission did not even include the Kharkiv region in the announced list of 79 municipal entities in the occupied territories of Ukraine where the Kremlin plans to hold ballots.

“This is a demonstration of those regions’ integration into Russia. The Kremlin is trying to cement its occupation and shows it won’t give those territories back,” said Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko of the Penta Center of Political Research.

“The rest of the world is not going to recognize the elections on the occupied territories, as it was before with referenda and Crimea. But Putin is still trying to show locals in the occupied territories that there’s no hope and Russia is here forever,” he added.

However, according to Fesenko, they’ve tried this before. Last year after the sham referenda, the Kremlin slapped up “Russia is here forever” billboards all across the occupied Kherson region.

“That did not stop the Ukrainian army from liberating those territories last fall,” Fesenko said.