Putin's Party Dominates Regional Elections Amid Attacks

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Facts

  • Pres. Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party have claimed strong results following regional and municipal elections in Russia on Sunday — including four regions of Ukraine claimed by Moscow to have been annexed last year.1
  • Elections were held in 79 Russian regions; the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia; as well as in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.2
  • The votes in Ukrainian territories were condemned as 'sham elections' in violation of international law by Kyiv and its Western partners, including the US, the UK, and the Council of Europe.3
  • Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of voter rights' group Golos — designated as a 'foreign agent' by the Kremlin — alleged instances of electoral corruption across the country, claiming to Reuters that results were not from “real elections.'1
  • Meanwhile, Russia-appointed officials in Ukrainian regions reported various attempts of voter disruption. A Russian official in the Kherson region stated that a grenade was discovered outside one of the polling stations there, delaying its opening until the grenade was disposed of; also, a Russian official in the Donetsk region claimed that multiple staff were 'wounded and injured' without further elaboration.2
  • Nikolai Bulaev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Central Election Commission, also revealed that a drone had destroyed a polling station in the Zaporizhzhia region hours before it opened. No staff were present at the time of the attack.2

Sources: 1Reuters (a), 2Associated Press and 3Reuters (b).

Narratives

  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Reuters. The Russian elections are a sham and a violation of international law. With various allegations of corruption, rigging, and the repression of opposition candidates, Russia’s supposed results do not hide the dubious reality of Putin’s real popularity within the state.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Sputnik international. The results of the free and fair elections in the reclaimed areas of Russia highlight the desire and willingness of those who inhabit ex-Ukrainian territories to come together as a single, prosperous nation. While the West tried its best to see that these elections didn't take place — with the Russian electoral commission facing a surge in cyberattacks — strong voter turnout showed that the will of the Russian people could not be denied.

Predictions