Why the Russian Central Election Commission formed new electoral districts in the TOT
russia prepares a new attempt to legitimize occupied Ukrainian territories through state duma elections in 2026
▫️ Against the backdrop of kremlin demands for international recognition of the occupied territories as part of russia, the russian Central Election Commission (CEC) has established single-member constituencies on the temporarily occupied territories (TOT):
• in Donetsk region — three constituencies;
• in Luhansk region — two constituencies;
• in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions — one constituency each.
▫️ In 2026, the kremlin plans to bring 11 deputies from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories into the State Duma. To achieve this, the number of constituencies within russia itself is being reduced.
The creation of “electoral districts” on TOT is a standard practice for russia. After the occupation of Crimea in 2014, russia established four constituencies there for the State Duma elections in 2016 and 2021. Ukraine did not recognize these “elections” due to their being held on occupied territories and widespread electoral fraud.
In March 2024, russia already conducted so-called “presidential elections” on the TOT, aiming to legitimize the occupation through falsified results in favor of putin.
