Kremlin to hold early voting for upcoming Russian presidential election in annexed Ukrainian territories

Authorities will organize early voting for the upcoming Russian presidential election in Russian-annexed parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, reports Kommersant.

The exact duration will be set by local Kremlin-appointed officials but is expected to last a week before the start of the main three-day election, as was the case in September 2023.

According to Russian legislation, early voting in elections is permitted in “hard-to-reach areas,” among other reasons. (Russian authorities recognize the annexed part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region as such.)

In the annexed regions, voting will also take place on the official election days.

Experts have repeatedly warned about the increased risk of election fraud in Russia and Russian-controlled areas during early voting and voting outside polling stations.

The Russian presidential elections will take place from March 15 to 17, 2024. Vladimir Putin is running for his fifth term.