Russia

The Kremlin is working to solidify its control both militarily and politically over the four Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine with this months regional elections there, experts and officials told The Moscow Times.Nearly a year after Moscow staged widely disputed referendums to annex Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Russian authorities now aim to legitimize them as an integral part of Russian territory and prevent them from being able to return to Ukraine.In the days leading up to Sept.
10, the four regions will vote to choose local parliaments despite Moscow failing to fully control any of them and active combat in several areas."The main goal that the Kremlin is aiming to achieve through these elections is to legitimize the authorities and showcase that the residents of these territories are aligning themselves with [Russia], a Russian government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the election strategy.All of this [election campaign] is meant to show their political integration into Russia," he told The Moscow Times.In addition to building legitimacy, the vote, which could be postponed due to martial law in the four regions, is also aimed at showing the Russian public that the war against Kyiv is going according to plan, experts said.The Kremlin is addressing its propaganda challenges to demonstrate that Russia is there forever and that [these regions] are already integral parts of Russia, said Konstantin Skorkin, an expert on the politics of eastern Ukraine.The second task is to normalize and routinize the war as much as possible and to show that there is the so-called special operation that is going according to plan, which does not change the countrys life at all, Skorkin added.Following the elections, local parliaments will appoint regional and municipal leaders.
None of the four regions residents will have a direct role in choosing their local executive branch.
Elections in the occupied territories will also be conducted solely through party lists, meaning that residents of these regions will not be voting for individual candidates.While the candidate lists for the election to local parliaments include candidates from the ruling United Russia party, the Communist Party (KPRF), the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), the New People party and the A Just Russia party,United Russiais expected to reap the most benefits, experts say.Most of the actions taken by the occupying authorities in these territories including the distribution of humanitarian aid, payment of state benefits and pensions, and medical assistance were carried out under the auspices of the Kremlin-aligned United Russia party.According to the Russian state-run VTsIOM pollster, support for United Russia in the occupied territories ranged from 80% to 89% as of last month.The full candidate lists have not even been published due to security concerns.
According to a joint investigation by iStories and the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), a number of candidates have past criminal convictions, including corruption, tax evasion, and robbery, which were cleared.Igor Bazarny, who is running as part of the LDPR in the Kherson region, was convicted for abuse of authority in a military unit in the Murmansk region in 2020.
His criminal record was later expunged.The lists also include at least two officials from President Vladimir Putin's administration.
Oleg Nesterov, who is on the list of candidates for the Zaporizhzhia regional assembly, was never a public figure until he was sanctioned by the United States for allegedly coordinating an illegal referendum on the entry of Zaporizhzhia into Russia and overseeing the establishment of so-called filtration camps for Ukrainian refugees.Another presidential administration official, Igor Deryugin, previously served in an FSB Border Service academy and is on the United Russia candidate list for the Kherson region.One-third of candidates in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions are housewives, pensioners, students or unemployed people, the iStories and CIT report said.Some local candidates appeared to switch their positions on the war just months ago.
Vitaliy Buliuk, the former deputy chairman of Ukraine's Kherson administration who is now running for the Kremlin-backed Kherson parliament, had posted that Kherson is Ukraine as recently as April 2022, the journalists said.While the elections appear aimed at bolstering locals loyalty to Moscow, the voting process, which began last week and ends Sunday, may be extended due to people's reluctance to participate, a source close to the Kremlin told The Moscow Times.People are tired of the war and are not eager to go to the polling stations in the occupied regions, the source said.
Therefore, the authorities have added a few more days of early voting to the [existing] three days of voting in order to try to bring more people to the ballot boxes.According to the source, this election differs significantly from the referendum to annex Crimea in 2014, when Russia carried out a widely criticized vote denounced by Ukraine and Western nations.[Back then] peninsula residents didn't require much motivation to go to the polling stations.
They were eager and turned out in large numbers, the source said, but this year the situation is very different.A woman casts her ballot at a mobile polling station during early voting for local elections organized by the Russian-installed authorities in the occupied city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.AFPIn an apparent attempt to boost voter turnout, residents of all four regions are also permitted to use their Russian or Ukrainian passports when participating in the vote.Ukraine has already slammed the vote, asking locals not to participate and reportedly distributingleaflets with messages like Ignore the elections and Dont play along with the occupier."By organizing fake elections in the Ukrainian regions and Crimea, the Kremlin continues to delegitimize the Russian legal system," Ukraines Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday, adding that those involved in the elections should be sanctioned.However, according to experts and Russian officials, the Kremlin is unlikely to allow any other result besides a cementing of its power.The main risk is an escalation of the military situation and the threat of shelling since the territories are a frontline zone," the source close to the Kremlin said."It is clear that there are no risks of the ruling [United Russia] party losing because the elections there are purely a sham.





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting - It's Voluntary!


ADVERTISE


Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Russia Claims New Village in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region


[Russia] - Moscow Blames Sanctions for Russia-UN Food Deal Collapse


[Russia] - Russia Says Foreign Minister Lavrov Met Kim Jong Un


[Russia] - Ukraine Says 6 Killed in Massive Russian Drone, Missile Attack


[Russia] - Conference Seeks Solidarity Among Indigenous Peoples of Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia


Russia and Belarus to Develop AI Rooted in 'Traditional Values'


[Russia] - Russia's FM Lavrov Arrives in North Korea


Russia Orders Closure of Polish Consulate in Kaliningrad


[Russia] - Elite Russian Marine Unit Commander Reportedly Killed in Ukrainian Missile Strike


Russia Nationalizes Country’s Third-Largest Gold Producer


[Russia] - Russia Weighs Scrapping Its Only Aircraft Carrier After Years of Restoration Delays


Border Defense Fraud Probe Targets Belgorod Region Officials – Kommersant


[Russia] - Dutch Court Sentences Russian to 3 Years for Sharing Microchip Technology


Peskov Defends Russia’s Media Crackdown as Part of ‘Information War’


[Russia] - Starovoit Buried at Historic St. Petersburg Cemetery Days After Suspected Suicide


[Russia] - Ukrainian Attacks on Western Russia Kill At Least 3


[Russia] - Russian Military Personnel Costs Hit Record High-- Analysis


[Russia] - St. Petersburg Court Drops 'LGBT Propaganda' Case Against Popular Bookstore


[Russia] - Russian Police Offered Bonuses to Recruit Detainees for Ukraine War-- Vyorstka


[Russia] - Ukrainian Attack on Belgorod Region Kills 2, Governor Says


[Russia] - Russian State Media Turns on Trump After Putin Criticism


[Russia] - Putin Skips Memorial Service for Ex-Transportation Minister, Sends Wreath Instead


[Russia] - 'We Are Being Held Without Protection': North Caucasus Women Decry Dire Conditions in Kurdish-Run Syrian Camps


[Russia] - Rubio and Lavrov Held 'Frank Exchange' on Sidelines of ASEAN Summit, Moscow Says


[Russia] - Moscow Swelters in Heat Wave After Powerful Storms Batter the City


Nizhny Novgorod Region Rolls Back Migrant Work Ban Amid Labor Shortages


[Russia] - Russian Basketball Player Arrested in France at Request of United States


Gelendzhik Airport to Reopen More Than 3 Years After Wartime Closure


[Russia] - Moscow Theatre Director Questioned in Large-Scale Embezzlement Probe


Russia Adds Entrepreneur Kidnapped at Moscow Train Station to ‘Terrorists and Extremists’ List


[Russia] - Death by Falling: A Timeline of Cases Across Russia and Abroad


[Russia] - Russia to Launch Direct Flights From Moscow to North Korean Capital on July 27


Crimean Woman Fined Over $1K for Posting Photos of Men in Wedding Dresses Online


[Russia] - Leading European Court Rules Russia Committed Rights Abuses in Ukraine, Downing of MH17


[Russia] - Rangers Kill 11 Brown Bears Lured by Food Waste in Russia's Far East


Russia Reopens Embassy in Tehran 2 Weeks After Israel-Iran Ceasefire


[Russia] - Kremlin Brushes Off Trump's 'Tough Talk' and Claims 'No Disagreement' on Ukraine Negotiations


[Russia] - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Visit North Korea This Weekend


[Russia] - Russian Lawmakers Greenlight Restoration of FSB-Run Prison Network


[Russia] - FSB Agents Shoot and Kill Man Accused of Planning Bridge Bombing in Saratov Region


[Russia] - Russian Military Launches Largest-Ever Air Attack on Ukraine


Ukrainian Drone Attack on Kursk City Beach Kills 4, Governor Says


[Russia] - Russian Broadcaster RTVI Starts Airing in Mali


[Russia] - Trump Accuses Putin of Talking 'Bulls ***' on Ukraine


[Russia] - Russia Plans USAID-Inspired Development Model in Bid to Extend Global Influence


FSB Accuses Ex-Independent Media Manager of Treason


Russia Blacklists Yale University as ‘Undesirable’ Organization


[Russia] - Ignore Donald Trump's 'Political Seesaw,' Russia's Medvedev Says


Russian Military Drone Crashes Into Dacha in Republic of Tatarstan


Nadezhdin Campaign Manager Stripped of Russian Citizenship


Who Was Roman Starovoit, the Sacked Transportation Minister Found Dead in Apparent Suicide


[Russia] - Russian Tour Companies Introduce Trips to Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan for $3K


Lavrov Names Sanctions Relief and Return of Frozen Assets as Preconditions for Ukraine Ceasefire


[Russia] - Former Russian National Guard Official Arrested on Bribery, Abuse of Power Charges


[Russia] - Black Sea Oil Spill Reaches Abkhazia's Shores


[Russia] - Russian Anti-Terrorism Police Warn of Foreign Spying Disguised as Photo Contests


Russian Army Says It Seized First Village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region


[Russia] - Former Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit Found Dead With Gunshot Wound After Being Sacked by Putin


[Russia] - Russia Targets Emigres in Kazakhstan With Back Tax Demands


Ukrainian Drone Attacks Trigger Major Flight Disruptions at Russia’s Busiest Airports


[Russia] - New Details Emerge in Bribery Case Against Rusagro Founder


[Russia] - Far-Flung Kamchatka Peninsula Restricts Mobile Internet to Thwart Alleged Ukrainian Sabotage


Rosstat Stops Publishing Monthly Population Data Amid War Deaths, Demographic Crisis


[Russia] - Russian Gold Mining Tycoon Barred From Leaving Country Amid Nationalization Efforts


Putin Sacks Transportation Minister Roman Starovoit


[Russia] - Ukraine Says 4 Killed, Over 30 Wounded in Russian Strikes


Russia Says Captured 2 More East Ukraine Settlements in Donetsk and Kharkiv Regions