Ukraine’s Government Urges Citizens in Russian-Occupied Territories to Boycott ‘Pseudo-Elections’ as Putin Aims for Six More Years
The Ukrainian government has issued a stern warning to its citizens residing in areas under Russian occupation, urging them to shun the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for this Sunday. These polls are broadly perceived as an attempt by Moscow to lend legitimacy to its control over territories it holds in defiance of international law.
According to a statement released by the Ukrainian government, citizens should refrain from engaging in any way possible with these elections, including organizing polling stations, campaigning, voting, or serving as observers. Minister Iryna Vereshchuk emphasized that collaboration with the occupiers in holding these fake elections is a breach of Ukrainian law, even though forced participation is not punishable.
In-person voting commenced on Friday and is expected to reach its peak on Sunday with a considerable number of polling stations opening in the Russian-occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
Russian authorities have placed a significant emphasis on the optics of these elections, as evidenced by a report published on RIA Novosti’s Telegram channel depicting mobile polling teams in Avdiivka. In the footage, a man named Danil, described as an election commission head, is seen setting up a voting station while wearing a scarf to conceal his identity. Several individuals are shown casting their votes, with one woman expressing her gratitude for the opportunity to participate.
Russian Telegram channels have disseminated images of mobile polling teams operating across other occupied territories, with some footage revealing the presence of Russian soldiers accompanying election officials during house-to-house visits.
Ukrainian authorities have reported widespread instances of intimidation tactics, with citizens being coerced into casting their votes for Putin. Russian-installed officials in the occupied territories reported several explosions near polling stations on Saturday, at least some of which were acknowledged by Ukrainian sources.
In an instance from Luhansk, a video surfaced showing an elderly woman casting her vote while a man in army fatigues with a rifle stood nearby. Ukrainian officials insist that such occurrences are commonplace and intended to force individuals into voting for Putin.
Amid these reports, Russian election officials have been posting updates on the alleged turnout in various regions. In occupied Kherson, turnout stood at 77.7% by 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, while in occupied Donetsk it reached 86.5% just after 9 p.m. Ukraine maintains that Moscow will manipulate the final results and claims that a significant portion of people living under Russian occupation have chosen not to participate in the elections.