Russia will stage elections in the four annexed regions of Ukraine, including the Luhanks, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kheson regions in September this year to “further justify their occupation”, the British Ministry of Defence has said. 

In its latest daily update, the MoD reported that Russian Federation Council chair Valentina Matvienko said that regional elections will take place on September 10, 2023. 

They alleged that such elections, unlikely to hold any verifiable democratic merit, “highlights the leadership’s ambition to present the areas as integral parts of the Federation”.