installed for the upcoming regional elections planned by the Russian-installed authorities, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, August 12, 2023.
Russia does not fully control any of the four regions where the votes are being held - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Ukrainian officials say the elections are also illegal and show why it is impossible to hold any peace talks with Moscow until Russia withdraws all its troops from Ukrainian territory.
The governors are all running with Russian President Vladimir Putin's endorsement having joined the Kremlin's United Russia bloc with fanfare in recent months and they face only nominal opposition.
"They (Russian-installed officials) are going to walk from apartment to apartment, as they did before, talking to people.
Persons:
Donbas, Alexander, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin's, Vadym Boichenko, Yevgeny Balitsky, Putin, Felix Light, Felix Hoske, Philippa Fletcher
Organizations:
REUTERS, Ukraine, United Nations, Assembly, Kremlin's United, Reuters, Kremlin, United, Thomson
Locations:
Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, Ukraine Russia, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea, Moscow, Kremlin's United Russia, Mariupol, Ukrainian, Kyiv, MOSCOW, United Russia