Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top official for foreign and security policy, sharply criticized this past weekend’s parliamentary elections in Russia. She accused the Kremlin of eliminating genuine anti-war opposition, blocking standard international monitoring, and conducting voting in Ukraine’s occupied territories. The EU, she said, is now preparing sanctions against individuals involved in organizing voting in these areas.
According to preliminary results, President Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party secured nearly 58 percent of the vote, maintaining its dominant position in the State Duma.
Kallas: “Only a façade of democracy remains”
Kallas responded to the elections on Monday, 21 September.
The EU’s diplomatic chief said there was virtually no doubt about the outcome even before polling stations opened.
She declared that Russian authorities silenced the opposition and restricted any space for political groups opposing the war against Ukraine.
“In Russia, only a façade of democracy remains,” Kallas stated in her assessment of the elections.
This reflects the stance of the European Union, while Moscow, for its part, presents its elections as a legitimate democratic process.
Anti-war Yabloko barred from contesting
One of the most striking pre-election developments was the exclusion of the liberal Yabloko party.
In August, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that Yabloko would not be allowed to run in the parliamentary elections. The decision followed a petition by the nationalist Rodina party, which accused Yabloko of violating campaign finance and election regulations.
Yabloko rejected these allegations and called the court’s decision politically motivated.
The party was the only registered Russian political group to openly oppose continuation of the war in Ukraine.
Aktualizovane.sk previously noted that Vladimir Putin has linked the vote to supporting Russian soldiers, national unity, and maintaining the current political direction.
United Russia on course for another sweeping victory
With most votes counted, United Russia led with approximately 58 percent.
Trailing behind were the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, New People, and A Just Russia – For Truth.
According to Russian figures, official voter turnout exceeded 56 percent.
This was the first State Duma election since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Voting held in occupied Ukrainian territories
A major source of controversy was the organization of voting in Ukrainian areas under Russian control.
Russian authorities opened polling stations in the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
Voting also took place in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. The majority of the international community does not recognize this annexation.
Ukraine and the European Union regard voting on occupied territories as illegitimate and a violation of international law.
Brussels preparing new sanctions
Kallas announced that the European Union is preparing measures against individuals who participated in organizing Russia’s parliamentary elections on internationally recognized Ukrainian territory.
She did not disclose any specific list of individuals or when the sanctions would be adopted.
These measures would build on previous EU sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion, occupation of Ukrainian regions, and steps towards their integration into the Russian Federation.
Elections marred by drone strikes and cyber incidents
The final day of voting was also marked by a large-scale drone attack on Moscow and the Moscow region.
Russian authorities reported cyberattacks on the electronic voting system and communication infrastructure during the elections.
Moscow attributed responsibility to Ukraine. Kyiv, however, did not acknowledge any Russian claims of election interference.
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The results leave United Russia in a dominant position, ensuring Vladimir Putin can continue to rely on strong support from the State Duma for Kremlin policies.
The European Union, however, views the outcome in the context of opposition suppression, limited international observation, and illegal voting in occupied Ukrainian territories—the latter being the main reason for the planned sanctions.
This article was translated from the original Slovak version with the assistance of AI.
