For the first time since its 2022 annexations, Russia has drawn four occupied Ukrainian regions into its parliamentary elections, claiming 3.5 million registered voters in territories the world largely regards as illegally seized. Ukraine, the European Union, and human rights organizations reject the exercise as coercion dressed in democratic form — a ballot box deployed not to express the will of a people, but to ratify conquest. The move reflects a recurring pattern in modern conflict: the attempt to launder territorial ambition through the rituals of civic life, even as troops escort electi
Russia includes annexed Ukrainian regions in elections; Kyiv, EU condemn move
Residents of occupied territories face coercion to participate in elections, with human rights groups reporting door-to-door voting enforcement by Russian troops and security agents.