According to Ukraine, before the local elections scheduled for September 8-10, in the occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson provinces, the Russian authorities plan to hold a “preliminary vote”, accompanied by sorting commissioners, by Russian soldiers, who will participate in the elections. official.
We call on the Ukrainians not to open their doors to the occupiers, to leave the region or their homes, if possible, during the “preliminary vote”.
– Books of the National Resistance Center.
The four Ukrainian provinces are subject to Russian occupation only partially, but last September the Russians held referendums in these provinces, after which the provinces were annexed to Russia under Russian law. Referendums and annexations were not recognized by the international community.
During mock referendums last September, numerous recordings emerged of Russian census officials “encouraging” the population to participate in elections with the help of soldiers.
According to Ukraine, the purpose of the primary vote used in the current local elections is to mask the population’s lack of interest in voting.
Front page photo: Russian election poster for the September 2022 mock referendum in Herson. Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images
