Russia holds first State Duma elections on occupied Ukrainian territories, drawing condemnation from Kyiv and EU
From 18 to 20 September 2026, Russia held State Duma elections that for the first time included voting on occupied Ukrainian territories in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as in Crimea and Sevastopol. Ukraine, the EU and Ukrainian human rights organizations condemned the vote as illegal and reported evidence of coercion, including door-to-door visits by commission members accompanied by Russian military and pressure on public-sector employees. According to Russia's Central Election Commission, United Russia received 57.83% of the vote after 95.18% of protocols were counted.
Key points
- Voting ran from 18 to 20 September 2026; on occupied Ukrainian territories procedures began at the end of August.
- Polling was organized in occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts and in occupied Crimea and Sevastopol, with 11 single-mandate constituencies created there.
- Russia claims more than 3.5 million voters in the occupied parts of the four oblasts; Russian-controlled sources reported turnout of 80.88% in 'DNR' as of the second main voting day.
- After counting 95.18% of protocols, Russia's CEC put United Russia's vote share at 57.83%; Russian 'exit polls' cited via Russian media put it at about 50%.
- Ukrainian authorities condemned the vote as illegal; the SBU warned that organizers face criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property.
- Human rights organizations reported coerced voting: armed Russian servicemen at polling stations, commission members going door to door with military escorts, dismissal threats for public-sector employees, and pensioners and people with disabilities risking loss of payments if placed on 'disloyal' lists.
- The European Commission called the vote another gross violation of international law and said the EU does not and will never recognize it or its results.
Why it matters
By extending its parliamentary vote into occupied Ukrainian territory, the USSR is trying to translate its declared annexation into institutional form inside the Russian state, producing State Duma deputies nominally elected from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea and Sevastopol. Kyiv and Brussels treat the vote not as a domestic Russian matter but as an attempt to legitimize occupation and create facts that can later be used in any negotiation over the status of these territories.
What happened
Russia held State Duma elections from 18 to 20 September 2026. For the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion, voting was organized on Ukrainian territories Moscow declared annexed: occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and occupied Crimea and Sevastopol. On those territories voting began at the end of August, with Russia citing security considerations for the extended period. Russia's Central Election Commission had earlier, in June 2026, adopted decisions organizing the process there and illegally created 11 single-mandate constituencies. Russia also 'registered' the Ukrainian-controlled cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Sviatohirsk for the vote. Russian authorities put the number of voters in the four occupied oblasts at over 3.5 million. In the so-called 'DNR', official sources reported turnout of 80.88% as of the evening of the second main voting day and a 75% figure after so-called early voting; polling stations on the final day operated in a shortened mode until 14:00. After counting 95.18% of protocols, Russia's CEC reported United Russia at 57.83%, while Russian 'exit polls' circulated via Russian media put it at about 50%. Reports from the ground described coercion: armed Russian servicemen observing polling stations, door-to-door visits by commission members accompanied by military and security forces, dismissal threats against public-sector employees who failed to show up, and pensioners and people with disabilities being placed on 'disloyal' lists with the risk of losing pensions, social payments or humanitarian aid. On one polling station in occupied Donetsk oblast voters cast ballots in the presence of an armed Russian soldier. Ukraine's Central Election Commission adopted a resolution declaring the vote illegitimate; the SBU warned that organizers face criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 111-1 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property; and the Foreign Ministry called the process a 'farce' that has nothing to do with democratic elections. A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights organizations urged residents not to attend and to prioritize their safety. European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand called the vote another gross violation of international law and said the EU does not and will never recognize it or its results.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources consistently frame the vote as 'pseudo-elections', 'pseudo-vote' or 'illegal elections' in scare quotes, treating it as illegitimate from the outset. Coverage centers coercive practices — armed Russian servicemen at polling stations, door-to-door canvassing by commission members accompanied by military and security forces, dismissal threats for budget-sector employees, and the risk of pensioners and people with disabilities being placed on 'disloyal' lists and losing social payments. Reporting also stresses institutional responses: the Central Election Commission's resolution on illegitimacy, the SBU's warning of criminal liability under Part 5 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry's 'farce' statement, and appeals by a coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights organizations for residents not to attend. Several pieces highlight how weak the campaign itself was, citing journalist Anna Murlykina on minimal street agitation in occupied Donetsk oblast, Stanislav Fedorchuk's note on absent campaigning in Russian and occupation media, and a Realna Hazeta comparison showing 87 election mentions in the two months before the vote versus 251 before Russia's 2024 presidential election. Ostrov editor-in-chief Serhiy Harmash is quoted framing the vote as a 'rite of initiation' and a future Russian 'trump card' in negotiations over the status of the occupied territories.
How international sources describe it
The articles available for this story are all from Ukrainian sources, so there is no meaningful basis in this set for a separate international framing beyond what is reported about external reactions. The principal external reaction recorded is the European Union's: European Commission spokesperson Christian Wigand called the vote another gross violation of international law and stated that the EU does not recognize and will never recognize either the holding of these so-called, fictitious elections on temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results. With that exception, the article set does not contain a distinct non-Ukrainian editorial line to contrast with Kyiv's.
Where reporting differs
Sources diverge on turnout in 'DNR': the 'republican election commission' head Volodymyr Vysotsky cited 80.88% as of the evening of the second main voting day, while a separate 75% figure was announced after the so-called early voting period. Reports of actual voter activity also differ by location — official 'republican' sources in 'DNR' describe high turnout, whereas journalist Oleh Baturin reports that in occupied Kherson oblast only individual people came to the polling stations and most were sparsely attended. United Russia's vote share is also reported inconsistently: Russia's CEC, after counting 95.18% of protocols, put it at 57.83%, while Russian 'exit poll' data circulated through Russian media put it at about 50%.
Background
Russia declared the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts in September 2022; the annexation has not received international recognition and Russia does not fully control these oblasts. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The September 2026 State Duma vote was the first Russian parliamentary election held during the full-scale war and the first organized on territories Moscow declared annexed after the start of the full-scale invasion. Earlier exercises on occupied territory included pseudo-referendums in September 2022 and pseudo-elections to regional authorities in 2023.