EU and allies condemn Russian elections as shams, threaten sanctions

The European Union and five allied nations condemned Russia's recent parliamentary elections as illegitimate "shams," with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announcing proposed sanctions against those who organized the vote in occupied Ukrainian territories. The condemnation came as preliminary results showed the ruling United Russia party securing a commanding majority in the State Duma. Kallas dismissed the elections, held from September 18 to 20, as a "veneer of democracy" and a "major setback for Russian democracy." She stated that the Kremlin had silenced dissent, barred the only registered party opposing the war in Ukraine, and excluded international monitors. The EU said it would never recognize the voting held in occupied Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. Five countries-the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada-issued a joint statement echoing the condemnation. They described the elections in occupied territories as a "gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and independence, and the UN Charter.