President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won regional and local elections held by Russia in four occupied regions of Ukraine, according to initial official data. This emerged from the first figures published today on the Russian Election Commission website during the vote count.
Kiev and its Western allies have described the elections in the occupied territories as illegitimate. In numerous Russian regions and the Russian-controlled part of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, voting ended in elections that were seen as a test run for next year’s Russian presidential elections.
Moscow wants to underline its claim to power in the eastern and southern areas of Ukraine. Russia declared the regions annexed after “referendums” in September 2022, but only militarily controls parts of the regions.