PACE declares new Russian State Duma illegitimate, urges non-recognition
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has declared the newly elected Russian State Duma illegitimate and proposed that it not be recognized as a democratically elected parliament. PACE cited voting conditions it said failed to meet free and fair election standards, condemned the holding of Russian elections on occupied Ukrainian territory, and called for restricting contacts with the new Duma and sanctioning organizers of the vote.
Key points
- PACE proposed not recognizing the new State Duma as a democratically elected parliament or a legitimate body of power.
- The Assembly called the 18–20 September vote incompatible with free and fair elections.
- PACE condemned Russia's holding of the vote in Crimea and Sevastopol and in parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts controlled by Russian forces.
- PACE called for restricting contacts with the new Duma and for sanctions against organizers of the Russian elections.
- PACE had previously declared Vladimir Putin illegitimate as president of Russia.
- The Assembly said the vote took place amid systematic suppression of political opposition, criminalization of dissent and intimidation of voters.
- PACE expressed particular concern about citizens of Council of Europe member states acting as observers, including on occupied Ukrainian territory.
Why it matters
PACE's formal questioning of the Russian parliament's legitimacy extends the institution's earlier stance on Vladimir Putin's presidency to the legislature itself, signaling a coordinated European position against Russia's leadership. The Assembly's call for restricted contacts and sanctions against vote organizers turns the non-recognition into a concrete policy ask for Council of Europe member states. The explicit condemnation of voting on occupied Ukrainian territory — covering Crimea, Sevastopol and parts of four oblasts — keeps the occupied-territories dimension at the center of the European institutional response to Russia.
What happened
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe issued a series of statements declaring the newly elected Russian State Duma illegitimate and proposing that it not be treated as a democratically elected parliament or a legitimate organ of power. PACE assessed that the Russian vote, held on 18–20 September, did not meet the requirements of free and fair elections and took place amid systematic suppression of political opposition, criminalization of dissent, voter intimidation, restrictions on access to independent information and an absence of genuine political competition. The Assembly pointed to the barring from the vote of the Yabloko party, which fields an anti-war platform, and to the absence of OSCE international observers. PACE condemned Russia's holding of the elections on occupied Ukrainian territory — in Crimea and Sevastopol, and in the parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts controlled by Russian forces — and called for holding accountable those responsible for organizing and conducting the vote on those territories. The Assembly also objected to the use of fictitious observers meant to create a veneer of legitimacy, and expressed particular concern about citizens of Council of Europe member states participating as observers on occupied Ukrainian territory. PACE called on member states to limit contacts with the new Duma and to impose sanctions on organizers of the Russian elections. The move was framed by PACE as continuous with its earlier declaration that Vladimir Putin is not a legitimate president of Russia, and as drawing on the Duma's record of supporting Russian aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian MP Kravchuk publicly reported that PACE had recognized the Duma as illegitimate.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian sources lead with PACE's decision not to recognize the Russian State Duma, presenting it as a direct European institutional success for Ukraine. Ukrainian coverage places the occupied-territories dimension — Crimea, Sevastopol, and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts — at the center of the story, framing the vote as an extension of Russian aggression onto Ukrainian land. The sources also emphasize continuity with PACE's earlier non-recognition of Putin, presenting a unified Council of Europe stance against Russia's leadership.
Background
Russia's State Duma elections took place over multiple days, with the facts citing 18–20 September as voting days. PACE had previously declared Vladimir Putin illegitimate as president of Russia. The Duma itself was cited by PACE as having supported Russian aggression against Ukraine.