Russian-appointed heads of annexed Ukrainian regions ask Moscow to hold elections in September

The Moscow-installed heads of Ukraine’s annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions have asked Russia’s Central Election Commission to hold elections on the country’s unified voting day, September 10, 2023, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

According to a source who spoke to the outlet, the commission will respond after consulting the Russian Defense Ministry, which has five days to respond by law. It’s unclear when the occupation authorities made their request.

In October 2022, shortly after Russia annexed the Ukrainian territories, Vladimir Putin declared martial in the regions. In May, the Russian State Duma passed amendments to allow elections to be held in territories under martial law.