Putin's early elections hold in occupied territories - Security Service reveals process
Security Service reveals process of Putin's early elections in occupied territories (photo: Getty Images)
So-called elections of the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are being held prematurely. Often, occupiers use door-to-door visits to control the "voting," but not only that, stated in the material by RBC-Ukraine, "Elections at gunpoint: How Russians force Ukrainians in occupied territories to vote for Putin."
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), during the preparation and conduct of the "presidential elections" in Russia scheduled for March 15-17, occupiers significantly intensified the administrative police and counterintelligence regime. This was done primarily to control the population and influence the voting results under the guise of security measures.
At the same time, in the occupied parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Russians held so-called elections through door-to-door visits and the establishment of mobile polling stations on the streets. Also, since February 24, pseudo-voting has been taking place in some military units on the contact line and in the occupied Crimea.
Thus, occupiers organize controlled voting for the civilian population in temporarily occupied territories (TOT) and servicemen.
Curators of the illegal elections in the TOT (temporarily occupied territories) are representatives of Putin's administration and deputies from the pro-government party United Russia, who are involved in propaganda and agitation events.
Security Service of Ukraine work
The SSU has documented over 4,500 individuals organizing the so-called referendums and elections in the TOT in 2022-2023. This work continues: the SSU is doing everything possible to hold every traitor and collaborator accountable.
Most often, such actions are classified as collaborationism, committed by a group of individuals in advance, and are punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years.
Considering the massive number of criminal cases investigated by the SSU for collaborationism in the TOT, it can be stated that many collaborators voluntarily cooperate with the aggressor, often receiving monetary rewards for organizing elections.
Some individuals who helped Russia conduct fake voting later moved to territories controlled by Ukraine, presenting themselves as "ordinary" migrants. However, thanks to the systematic approach of the SSU, such individuals are regularly identified and held accountable.
Elections in Russia
The presidential elections in Russia will last three days—from March 15 to 17, 2024. On December 8, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin officially announced his intention to be re-elected.
Reuters reported that Putin will be able to remain in power until 2030. Moreover, the Russian president's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has already stated that Putin is being re-elected with 90% of the votes.
At the same time, as earlier reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing for various scenarios on the front line. Until the "voting," the enemy will take an active position on the battlefield, not ceasing the pursuit of imaginary "victories" and using propaganda, including the Information and Psychological Operations in Ukraine.
