Moscow has set a date for elections in the annexed territories of Ukraine

The Russian Central Election Commission has set a date for holding local elections in Moscow-controlled territories of Ukraine. Russia plans to hold 83 campaigns on a single day of voting on September 10, the CEC said in a statement.

Voting is planned to be held in the regional parliaments of the four regions that Russia announced annexation of: Zaporozhye, Kherson, and Donetsk and Luhansk regions (they are called the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in the Russian Constitution) and in the municipalities of 79 settlements on their territory.

It is not specified in which towns the elections are planned. In two of these regions, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Moscow does not control the largest cities, in Donetsk region a significant part of the population centers are under the legal control of Ukraine. In addition, some settlements were completely destroyed or abandoned by residents.

Moscow announced the annexation of Ukrainian regions in the autumn of last year, before that the Kremlin announced the holding of referendums on their territory. Only two countries in the world recognized the vote and annexation — Syria and North Korea. Most of the world community, including Russia’s traditional partners, announced their rejection of the results, noting that they do not comply with international law. Ukraine denies any claims of Russia to its territory.

• A separate law was adopted in Russia to hold elections, allowing elections to be held in territories where martial law has been imposed. According to the law, this must be done at the request of local authorities, and the CEC must consult with the FSB and the Ministry of Defense when making a decision.