Oleg Baturin
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Russia holds State Duma elections in occupied Ukrainian territories for the first time
Russia conducted State Duma parliamentary elections on Ukrainian territories it claims to have annexed, including occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea. Ukrainian authorities declared the vote illegal, and the European Union said it does not and will never recognize the results. Reports describe coercion of local residents and participation of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.