Ukraine's parliament urges non-recognition of Russian State Duma election results
Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada adopted Resolution No. 16091 on 29 October, calling on the international community not to recognize the results or legitimacy of Russia's ninth State Duma elections. The appeal particularly concerns voting in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory and urges international institutions and governments to limit official engagement with the new Duma.
Key points
- The Verkhovna Rada adopted Resolution No. 16091 on 29 October with 250 votes in favor.
- The Russian State Duma elections for the ninth convocation were held on 18–20 September 2026.
- The appeal was addressed to the UN, the European Parliament, the parliamentary assemblies of the Council of Europe, NATO, the OSCE and GUAM, and national governments.
- The resolution calls on partners not to recognize Russian voting results in occupied Ukrainian territories or any mandates, decisions or other consequences of that voting.
- The Council of the EU added people to its sanctions list over the illegal Russian elections in occupied Ukrainian territories; sources differ on the number.
- Russia included the Ukrainian-controlled cities of Sloviansk, Krasmakove and Sviatohirsk in a Russian electoral district.
- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe described the elections as fictitious and illegitimate.
Why it matters
The resolution seeks to prevent the new State Duma and the results of voting in occupied Ukrainian territory from receiving international recognition. It also calls for restraint in official engagement with the new Russian parliament and frames voting under occupation as a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and international law.
What happened
On 29 October, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Resolution No. 16091, with 250 members of parliament voting in favor. The resolution calls on the international community not to recognize the legitimacy or results of the ninth State Duma elections, particularly voting conducted in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. It asks international actors not to recognize mandates, decisions or other consequences of those votes, and not to recognize the authority of new Russian parliamentary delegations in international and parliamentary organizations. The document also urges governments to avoid official interaction with the new Duma, except contacts needed for urgent humanitarian matters. Its explanatory note says that voting under occupation, military presence, coercion, persecution and imposed citizenship cannot create legitimate political expression or rights for Russia over Ukrainian territory. The document also identifies restrictions on political competition, persecution of opposition politicians, limits on free speech and independent media, the exclusion of the Yabloko party, and insufficient independent observation as failures of democratic electoral standards.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage centers on the parliamentary vote and the international reach of the appeal. The main legal and political argument is that Russia has no lawful basis to extend its electoral process or jurisdiction to temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory and that voting there cannot legitimize occupation. Ukrainian officials have described the election as a farce and stressed that the vote creates no legal rights for Russia over Ukrainian lands.
How international sources describe it
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe described the elections as fictitious and illegitimate, citing the suppression of political opposition. Germany's government called the three-day election a staged event, while Estonia's foreign minister described it as a political spectacle. The EU imposed sanctions related to the elections in occupied Ukrainian territories, and international scrutiny has also focused on disruptions caused by drone attacks in Russian regions, including the relocation of a polling station in Krasnodar Krai after windows were damaged.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainian sources disagree on how many people the Council of the EU added to its sanctions list in connection with the illegal elections: one account gives the figure as 77, while another reports 67.
Background
The ninth State Duma elections took place on 18–20 September 2026. The draft resolution was registered on 21 September and approved by the Verkhovna Rada committee on foreign policy and interparliamentary cooperation on 26 October. Russia included the Ukrainian-controlled cities of Sloviansk, Krasmakove and Sviatohirsk in one of its electoral districts. According to The Wall Street Journal, Vladimir Putin's United Russia party won 355 of the 450 seats, and observers reported that the Russian authorities used the election to mobilize support for the war against Ukraine.