Moscow, Russia

The voting for Russian presidential elections, which is scheduled to be held in March 2024, is set to be conducted also in the four Ukrainian regions that Russia claims to have annexed last year, Moscow said in a statement on Monday (Dec 11).

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The Central Elections Commission said that the voting in March would be given a go-ahead in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the Ukrainian regions where Russia still doesn't have complete military control.

"The decision was adopted unanimously," commission vice-president Nikolay Bulayev said, according to the state-run news agency TASS.

The elections are set to be conducted over three days from March 15 to 17.

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Earlier, Ukraine had urged the international community to "resolutely condemn Russia's intention to hold presidential elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories".

Kyiv had also called on the West to sanction individuals responsible.

Russia had previously also conducted elections in occupied regions of Ukraine. The polling was condemned by Kyiv and the West and was dubbed as null and void.

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In the month of September, Moscow had also held ballots for local officials in the four Ukrainian regions.

Also read: At least 4 injured after airstrike on Kyiv; Biden to host Zelensky at W. House

A year earlier, it had held a "referendum" to annex the territories. 

Both the votes were denounced by Kyiv and the West.

Putin to run again in presidential polls

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take part in the upcoming presidential vote, giving him a chance to extend his decades-long grip on power. 

As per state-run news agencies, Putin told Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, a Russian military officer, about this decision following an awards ceremony for army personnel at the Kremlin. 

This came after Russian lawmakers on Thursday moved Putin a step closer to a fifth term in office by setting the date of the country's 2024 presidential election for March 17, which was voted unanimously by the members of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly. 

Valentina Matviyenko, the head of the chamber, had said "With this decision, we are effectively launching the start of the election campaign." 

She said, "By choosing a head of state together, we fully share the common responsibility and common destiny of our fatherland." 

Even though five major parties have been allowed to submit a candidate for the vote, Putin is likely to win the elections as most of his critics, who could challenge him, are either in jail or in exile.

(With inputs from agencies)