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“This is the electoral commission, would you like to cast your vote?” A well-groomed lady asks the man who opened the apartment door for her. A completely normal situation, you might think. If it weren’t for the heavily armed, masked man in a camouflage uniform standing menacingly next to the lady. The short video was posted online by the advisor to the exiled mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, with the comment: The Russian version of free elections looks like this. Other sources confirm that this is what the Russian occupiers do.
Allowing Ukraine to vote is a violation of international law
They do this not only in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. Early “elections” have even been held everywhere this week – without taking into account that martial law is in place, there is fighting, and that these areas belong to Ukraine.
In addition, since the Russian invasion in 2022, an estimated half of the population of the occupied territories has fled, and many others are dead or have been abducted. In addition, Russians are being systematically settled. In the occupied city of Mariupol, for example, it is estimated that there are now more Russians than locals, including many military personnel. People abroad agree that voting under these circumstances is a blatant violation of international law.
When the wolf becomes a sheep
However, Russia is pursuing several goals with this production: It wants to legitimize the occupation and at the same time intimidate the remaining Ukrainians – and test their loyalty to Russia. The alleged results are intended to serve as further evidence that residents of the occupied territories want to be part of Russia.
Russian propaganda also cites this alleged expression of the will of the population as proof that Russia – in contrast to Ukraine – is a real democracy. The war meant that Ukraine had to cancel its presidential elections, which were also planned for this spring: too many people are abroad, the situation is too uncertain in many places, and no Ukrainian elections are possible in the occupied territories. Reason for Russian propaganda to claim that Ukraine, in contrast to Russia, is a dictatorship.
This is a cynical and absurd narrative, but one that probably resonates not only with some people in Russia, but also abroad. A narrative that is intended to undermine support for Ukraine. From the Kremlin’s perspective, this election farce is worth it in several ways.