“The Kremlin imposed particularly severe restrictions on the opposition and its supporters ahead of these elections,” said the Foreign Minister. “Candidates deemed unacceptable by the regime, as well as critics of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, were excluded from political competition or otherwise sidelined. Distorted registration requirements, administrative measures and criminal prosecutions were used to that end. The elimination of Yabloko, the only party registered for the elections on a platform supporting peace, because of its growing popularity is a telling example of the Kremlin’s determination to cling to its monopoly on power and deny war-weary Russian voters the opportunity to support peace.”
“Given the growing repression, intimidation, systematic suppression of the opposition and the absence of independent international election observers, this political performance orchestrated by Putin bears no resemblance to free elections,” Tsahkna stressed. “Rather, it is yet another ritual intended to reaffirm and prolong Putin’s rule.”
The Foreign Minister also condemned the holding of elections in Ukrainian territories illegally occupied by Russia, including the Crimean Peninsula and the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. This constitutes a clear violation of international law and of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Through these so-called elections, Russia seeks to legitimise its illegal occupation policy and create a legal basis for extending its jurisdiction in Ukraine,” Tsahkna said. “Estonia unequivocally condemns this and is working actively to ensure that the organisation of elections in occupied Ukrainian territory is met with clear international consequences. We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
