The kremlin Is Preparing a New Election Performance in the Temporarily Occupied Territories

russia is once again preparing to stage an election charade in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, and this time the production will cost it hundreds of millions of rubles. On September 20, 2026, on the so-called “single voting day” in the rf, elections to the state duma will take place, and the kremlin no longer hides the fact that its plans for the temporarily occupied territories are the same as in previous years: to create the appearance of a legitimate expression of will where there is absolutely no legitimacy whatsoever.

The script remains unchanged. The electoral lists include guaranteed winners from “united russia”, among whom, for example, is former ombudswoman moskalkova, and alongside them, young protégés from “new regions” are nominated to create the illusion of social mobility for the local population. In reality, this is mere window dressing designed to mask the absence of any real representation.

Behind this charade there lie two entirely pragmatic goals of the occupation administration. The first is to tighten control over the sentiments of residents in the five temporarily occupied regions. Under the guise of the election campaign, door-to-door canvassing has begun, aimed at identifying and neutralizing pockets of discontent early on, in particular by offering financial incentives to the loyal electorate. The second goal is far more prosaic: the elections have become a convenient pretext for both russians and local collaborators to embezzle budget funds. In the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region alone, over 300 million rubles were allocated from the “dpr” budget for holding the elections – and this against the background of an acute socioeconomic crisis in those territories.

In parallel, the kremlin is trying to give its election performance at least some semblance of international legitimacy. To this end, it is forming loyal groups of foreigners, including pro-russian journalists, political scientists, some experts, and even former municipal politicians. Every year, these delegations visit Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and other temporarily occupied territories, unconcerned by either international sanctions or their own reputations. The motivation of such “observers” is rarely complicated: it is either a sincere ideological allegiance to russia or simple bribery.