EU rejects Russian elections in ‘occupied’ Ukraine, vows sanctions

The EU on Monday rejected Russia's parliamentary elections held in occupied Ukrainian territories and warned that those involved would face sanctions.

The State Duma elections, held from Sept. 18 to 20, highlighted the "continued and deepening erosion of democracy" in Russia, the EU foreign policy chief said in a statement on behalf of the bloc.

The EU "unequivocally" condemned the organization of "so-called elections" in annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, as well as occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

It described the votes as a violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The European Union reiterates that it does not and will never recognise either the holding of these so-called 'elections' in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine or their results," the statement said.

Those involved in organizing the votes or standing as candidates in occupied Ukrainian territories, along with individuals responsible for undermining free and fair elections inside Russia, will be sanctioned, it added.

The bloc also accused Russian authorities of excluding opposition forces, misusing administrative and judicial resources and restricting access to independent information.

It said the exclusion of candidates from the Yabloko party's federal list further limited voters' choices. The EU described Yabloko as one of Russia's last remaining opposition forces and its only party with an anti-war platform.

The 27-member bloc criticized Moscow for not inviting observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

It urged Russia to accept a "full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire" in the war with Ukraine, and withdraw all its forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory.