The Russian presidential election, which takes place this weekend, must also take place in the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia. The Ukrainian authorities denounce a democratic masquerade.
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Three days of voting and a result known in advance. Until Sunday 17 March, Russia votes to offer Vladimir Putin a fifth term in the Kremlin. The candidate faces three other candidates, all in favor of war against Ukraine who represent no danger for the Russian leader. One of the challenges of this election is located thousands of kilometers from Moscow: it is also taking place in Crimea and Donbass, these Ukrainian territories annexed ten years ago. years or occupied for two years, like the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia. There, the vote is being organized in complete violation of international law.
In the occupied territories of southern Ukraine, the democratic masquerade of the Russian presidential election began at the end of February, assures Oleksandr Tolokonikov. He is the representative of the Kherson region, more than half of which is occupied by Russia. “The Russians have arrived in the center of the villagesexplains Oleksandr Tolokonikov. They installed the ballot boxes, they made the collaborators vote, civil servants and retirees. The second day, there was no one there. So they took the ballot boxes and started going to people’s homes accompanied by armed men. They entered every house and asked people to vote.”
An illusion of democracy
Propose, the word is weak, under the pressure of a firearm. The Ukrainian authorities in the Kherson region are sending reassuring messages to residents of the occupied areas.
“It will not be considered treason if you are forced by force to vote. We understand that the priority is to save your skin.”
Oleksandr Tolokonikov, representative of the Kherson regionat franceinfo
In the Ukrainian military intelligence services, we also follow very closely what is happening in the occupied territories. Andriy Tcherniak describes an illusion of democracy staged by Moscow to make the rest of the Russian population believe that the inhabitants of the Ukrainian regions support the occupation and the war led by Vladimir Putin. “The Kremlin ordered that the vote end with a score of 75 to 80% of the votes in favor of Putin. We also know that the Ukrainian collaborators decided to go beyond this score and to so that support for Putin reaches 85 to 90%.”
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Last week, a local official in the town of Berdyansk, in charge of organizing the presidential election, was killed in a car bomb explosion. An attack, welcomed by Ukrainian military intelligence which attributes it to Ukrainian resistance groups.
“Despite the presence of thousands of National Guards and other Russian security forces, and the fact that people are forced to denounce each other. Despite all this, the resistance remains active and it is possible that it will pass to action during the election.”
Andriy Tcherniak, spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligenceat franceinfo
This election, for the Russian occupiers, is above all a way of putting even more pressure on Ukrainian citizens who still refuse to take a Russian passport. A Kremlin decree provides that on July 1, they will be considered stateless persons, and could be deported far from their homes.
In occupied areas, Ukrainians are “invited” to vote for the Russian presidential election. The report by Camille Magnard and Yachar Fazylov