Russia plans to legalize occupation of Ukrainian territories in 2026: What Kremlin has in mind
Illustrative photo: Russia plans to hold elections to the State Duma in the occupation (Getty Images)
Russia wants to legitimize the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine through elections to the State Duma in 2026, according to the Center for Counteracting Disinformation (CCD) on Telegram.
As noted by the CCD, the Russian Central Election Commission has formed single-member electoral districts in the temporarily occupied territories:
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Three districts in the Donetsk region;
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Two districts in the Luhansk region;
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One district each in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
"In 2026, the Kremlin plans to send 11 deputies from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the State Duma. To achieve this, the number of districts within Russia itself is being reduced," the Center for Counteracting Disinformation added.
For Russia, the creation of electoral districts in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is a standard practice. Specifically, after the occupation of Crimea, Moscow created four districts there for elections to the State Duma in 2016 and 2021. Ukraine did not recognize these "elections."
At the same time, in March 2024, Russia held presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territories to legitimize the occupation through results favorable to Vladimir Putin.
Elections in the occupation
Earlier, the Center for National Resistance reported on the active preparations for holding elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
In particular, Russia is launching a chatbot through which voting will be possible.
