On December 8, Vladimir Putin expectedly announced that he was once again putting forward his candidacy for the post of President of Russia. The process was culminated by the so-called “parliamentary representative” of the occupied part of the Donetsk region, Artem Zhoga, who personally asked Putin to become a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.. According to Zhoga, in such way he expressed the desire of “the people of Donbas.”
Russian presidential elections will take place in March 2024. However, such elections have no legitimacy. After all, the Russian Central Election Commission announced on December 11 that voting would take place in the so-called “new regions.” That is, in the territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine occupied by the Russian army.
Previously, Russia decided to involve the occupied regions in regional elections, which took place in September 2023. Therefore, there is no doubt that voting for the Russian president in the occupied territories of Ukraine will be neither free nor fair. Russian authorities are preoccupied with creating “correct” election results in advance, as they want to legitimate Russian invasion.
In this regard, the occupying Russian administration will resort to election fraud and intimidating Ukrainians by creating an atmosphere of violence and terror to ensure Putin’s victory in regions. Consequently, sanctions and international isolation of the Russian Federation are a logical step in response to the Kremlin’s atrocities.