Russia holds parliamentary elections in occupied Ukraine, bars OSCE observers

Russia is holding its State Duma elections from September 18 to 20, 2026, controversially extending voting into occupied Ukrainian regions. Moscow has barred OSCE observers from monitoring the vote, marking the third consecutive election without their scrutiny. To integrate military personnel into government, Russian authorities registered 1,586 Ukraine war veterans as candidates. Meanwhile, early voting in occupied Donetsk began 21 days ahead of schedule, which Ukrainian officials and independent researchers warn is a mechanism for ballot falsification and armed voter intimidation.

State Duma elections

• ▪Russia is holding elections for the State Duma from September 18 to 20, 2026, with the main election day scheduled for September 20, 2026.
• ▪Russia plans to conduct the State Duma elections in occupied Ukrainian territories, including parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

OSCE observer exclusion

• ▪The September 2026 vote marks the third consecutive nationwide Russian election that the OSCE has been unable to observe, following exclusions in 2021 and 2024.
• ▪The OSCE stated that holding Russian elections in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory has no validity under international law and violates Ukraine's sovereignty.
• ▪Russia will not allow the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to observe the September 2026 parliamentary elections.

Opposition party suppression

• ▪Russia's Supreme Court banned the opposition Yabloko Party from participating in the September 2026 State Duma elections.
• ▪A Russian court sentenced Lev Shlosberg, a vocal critic and leader of the opposition Yabloko Party, to over 11 years in a penal colony for criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine

War veteran candidates

• ▪Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova stated that at least 200 war veterans have been nominated for seats in the 450-member State Duma.
• ▪Russian election authorities registered 1,586 Ukraine war veterans out of 1,668 nominees to run as candidates in federal, regional, and local elections.

Early voting mechanisms

• ▪Russia's Central Election Commission approved regulations for occupied Ukraine emphasizing early and at-home voting, officially to prevent large gatherings vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks.
• ▪Russian occupation authorities in the Donetsk region announced that early voting for the State Duma will begin on August 30, 2026, which is 21 days before the official election date

Ballot stuffing tactics

• ▪The Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine stated that early voting in occupied territories is designed to facilitate uncontrolled ballot stuffing and falsification.
• ▪Chatham House researcher Jaroslava Barbieri stated that Russian election officials escorted by armed soldiers carry ballot boxes door-to-door in occupied Ukraine to intimidate voters.

Debatable claims

• ▪Early voting in occupied Ukrainian territories is a necessary security measure
• ▪Russia's exclusion of OSCE observers undermines the legitimacy of its parliamentary elections
• ▪Nominating Ukraine war veterans as candidates will revitalize Russia's legislature
• ▪Residents of occupied Ukrainian territories should boycott the Russian State Duma elections