Kyiv denounces Russia's move to include annexed regions in parliamentary vote
Russia has for the first time included residents of Ukraine's illegally annexed regions in its State Duma elections, a move Kyiv and the European Commission have condemned as a breach of international law. Separately, the US has approved a potential $2.68bn air defence sale to Ukraine.
Russia's parliamentary election, running from Friday through Sunday, has for the first time formally included residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 in a move not internationally recognised. Russian authorities claim more than 3.5 million voters live in these territories, though voting there actually began at the end of last month, officially due to security concerns.
Ukrainian officials have branded the vote in these areas illegal and called on foreign governments and international bodies to refuse to recognise it. Ukrainians have been warned that helping organise the election could carry criminal liability. A coalition of nine Ukrainian human rights groups urged residents of the occupied territories to stay away from polling stations and prioritise their own safety. Violeta Artemchuk of the Donbas SOS group said local election commission members, accompanied by Russian troops and security agents, were going door to door to pressure people into voting.
The European Commission's Christian Wigand called the elections in occupied territory a blatant violation of international law, stressing that the EU will never recognise either the vote or its outcome. President Vladimir Putin has stressed the importance of the balloting in these regions, while Russian authorities reported cyberattacks on voting systems and communication lines, which they said were being repelled.
Other developments
The US State Department has approved a potential $2.68bn sale of air defence equipment and related services to Ukraine, pending congressional review, following repeated requests from Kyiv for support against Russian strikes. Luxembourg is investigating a drone sighting that briefly halted operations at its main airport overnight. Turkey's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Ankara has proposed a plan to Russia and Ukraine to end attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, though he acknowledged the two sides' positions remain difficult to reconcile.
