Russian holds parliamentary vote in areas it seized from Ukraine in the war

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 4 1/2 years ago, part of Kremlin efforts to cement its gains. Officials in Kyiv vigorously denounced the action as illegal, and a human rights activist described residents there as being coerced to participate in the election. While the vote across Russia started Friday and lasts until Sunday to help boost turnout, balloting actually has been underway in the annexed parts of Ukraine and some areas on the Russian side of the border since the end of last month. Officials cited security reasons for the extended period. Russian authorities say the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia territories, often referred to by Moscow officials as the “new regions,” have over 3.5 million voters.

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Scoop News DeskUkraine · Published Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 4:15 AM UTCUpdated Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 8:22 AM UTC

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A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups called on residents of the Russia-held territories to stay away from the polls. “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. “Holding Russian elections in the temporarily occupied territories is an attempt to use the electoral process to legitimize the Russian occupation and the attempted annexation of Ukrainian territories.” European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand said the voting in Russian-held regions represented “another blatant violation of international law.