MOSCOW: Russia claimed Sunday that the United Russia party, which staunchly backs President Vladimir Putin, had won local ballots in four Ukrainian re...
People vote at a polling station during local elections organised by the Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on September 8, 2023. AFPPIX: Russia claimed Sunday that the United Russia party, which staunchly backs President Vladimir Putin, had won local ballots in four Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia.
The polls also being held across Russia came ahead of presidential elections next year expected to prolong Putin's rule until at least 2030. In Donetsk, which has been partially controlled by separatists since 2014, Kremlin-installed authorities said Ukrainian shelling had injured election officials.Ukrainian security services said they had compiled a list of “collaborators” helping to organise the voting and vowed retribution.In Rostov-on-Don, a southwest city close to Ukraine's border attacked by drones this week, two voters told AFP the conflict was their main worry.“Everyone is worried about this one problem -- the war.
Musician Kirill Lobanov said Sobyanin had done “very well” as mayor, particularly “in the last year” marked by the conflict. Observers say one of the few competitive races in Russia's 11 time zones emerged in Siberia's remote Khakassia, where governor Valentin Konovalov is seeking re-election.