Віолета Артемчук
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Russia holds State Duma vote in occupied Ukrainian territories for first time
Russia conducted parliamentary elections for the first time on Ukrainian territories it claims to have annexed since the start of the full-scale invasion, with voting taking place in occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as well as in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian authorities and the EU rejected the vote as illegitimate, and Ukrainian human rights groups reported armed presence at polling stations and pressure on residents.