Ukraine urges residents in Russian-occupied areas to boycott Putin's 'pseudo elections'

Ukraine's government is advising citizens residing in Russian-occupied territories to ignore what they refer to as Moscow's fake elections. These elections are set to conclude on Sunday and it is widely expected that Vladimir Putin will be re-elected as president for another six years.

For Kyiv and its global partners, the election process is viewed as yet another move by Russia to legitimize its hold over the Ukrainian territories it currently occupies.

Government minister Iryna Vereshchuk advised Ukrainian citizens to avoid participating in any way in the upcoming elections. This includes not organizing the polling, campaigning, voting, or acting as an observer, as stated in a government announcement. Vereshchuk emphasized the importance of not collaborating or assisting in the holding of these elections, labeling them as a farce.

She warned that willingly participating in these fake elections would be a violation of Ukrainian law. However, she clarified that forced participation was not considered unlawful. Vereshchuk urged citizens to refrain from any involvement that could legitimize the occupiers' actions.

In-person voting has been ongoing since Friday, with Sunday expected to have the largest number of polling stations open. This includes Crimea, as well as parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions that are under Russian occupation.

Showing the significance Moscow places on appearances, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti posted a report on its Telegram channel on Saturday. The report showcased a mobile election team setting up in Avdiivka, a town recently captured by Russian forces, marking a significant territorial gain.

Our team is on the move to help the residents of Avdiivka participate in the presidential election. Danil, the head of the election commission, explains that we have all the voting essentials - including ballots, a ballot box, and a screen. He wears a scarf to protect his identity.

While capturing footage of people voting, a woman who identifies as an Orthodox Christian from the Russian Church shares her appreciation.

"We’ve been eagerly anticipating this moment and I’m thrilled that you’re here with us. Thank you so much for joining us," she expresses her gratitude.

Russian Telegram channels have shared videos of mobile election teams in different occupied territories. Some of these videos clearly show Russian soldiers accompanying election officials as they visit households.

A woman is shown pouring a liquid into a ballot box in Moscow, Russia. This image is from CCTV footage taken during the Russian presidential election on March 15, 2024. The video was obtained by Reuters. (Please note that this image has been supplied by a third party and should not be resold or archived.)

Reuters

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Russia has opened criminal cases following incidents where protesters poured dye in ballot boxes and started fires while voting was taking place.

In one video from Luhansk, an old woman is seen inside her apartment filling out an election paper and placing it in the ballot box. A man in army fatigues stands over her with a rifle slung across his chest.

Intimidation tactics, such as the ones mentioned, are frequently used by Ukrainian officials to pressure individuals into voting for Putin.

In response, officials appointed by Russia in the occupied territories have stated that there were multiple explosions near polling stations on Saturday. Ukraine has acknowledged some of these incidents.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the civilian-military administration in occupied Zaporizhzhia, reported that an improvised explosive device was detonated outside a building designated for voting in Berdiansk. He mentioned that while a wall was damaged, fortunately, there were no casualties.

In response to the incident, a Ukrainian official took to social media with a touch of irony, commenting, "It's quite lively in Berdiansk... seems like something not so pleasant happened." The same official later informed that locals had heard a second explosion in the city, this time also near a building set to be used as a polling station.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head in occupied Kherson, reported that a 50-year-old woman was killed by a drone strike in the town of Kakhovka, located on the Dnipro River. Saldo stated that the attack was an "attempt to destabilize the situation in the town during voting."

Furthermore, on Friday, he accused Ukraine of shelling a building in another part of Kakhovka where voting was happening. Fortunately, there were no casualties from this attack, as per Saldo.

Russia’s election officials have been sharing information about the voter turnout in different regions. In occupied Kherson, the turnout was reported to be 77.7% by 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, while in occupied Donetsk it was 86.5% just after 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Ukraine believes that Russia will manipulate the final election results and claims that the majority of people living under Russian occupation are opting out of participating in the voting process.

Editor's P/S:

The upcoming elections in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories are a blatant attempt by Moscow to legitimize its illegal annexation. The Ukrainian government has rightly urged citizens to ignore