The Russian Federation is going to illegally open polling stations in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas for voting in the elections to the Russian State Duma in September 2021.
This was reported by the Eastern Human Rights Group (EHRG) with reference to sources.
Thus, Russia wants to involve residents with Russian passports who live in the occupied districts in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the voting.
Read alsoDonbas residents with Russian passports may vote in elections to State Duma – Russian mediaIn addition, they want members of terrorist organizations, namely the so-called "Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics," in particular, Alexander Borodai, Zakhar Prilepin and Alexander Kazakov, to be elected to the State Duma. The campaigning for Russian parties in Donbas may begin in the summer of 2021.
According to human rights activists, the organization of the Russian elections in Donbas was discussed by the so-called "Union of Donbas Volunteers" and the United Russia Party in Russia's city of Rostov on May 10. They signed a memorandum of cooperation.
Russian passports in occupied Donbas
- Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 24, 2019, signed a decree on a simplified procedure for granting Russian citizenship to residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas.
- The Kremlin claims the Russian passports are issued to residents of the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions since "ethnic Russians live there" and Russia will continue to protect them.
- Earlier, Russia said almost 530,000 residents of Donbas had obtained Russian passports.
