Russia/Ukraine: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on Russian State Duma elections held on 18-20 September 2026 and their non-applicability on Ukrainian territory

Statement issued on 21 September 2026 by the EU High Representative on behalf of the European Union. It says the State Duma elections underscored the deepening erosion of democracy in Russia in an increasingly authoritarian environment without a level playing field; that excluding Yabloko's federal list debarred one of the last opposition forces and the only party with an anti-war platform; and that independent analysts had reported extensive misuse of administrative and judicial resources. It regrets Russia's decision not to invite OSCE observers. It condemns the organisation of so-called elections in Crimea, Sevastopol and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, states that the EU will never recognise the voting there or its results, and says those who organised it or stood as candidates there, and those responsible for undermining free elections inside Russia, will be sanctioned.