Zelenskyy imposes sanctions on 44 individuals involved in sham elections in temporarily occupied territories

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has brought into force sanctions against 44 individuals involved in holding sham elections to the State Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

Source: president of Ukraine's website

Details: This concerns individuals acting in Russia's interests and facilitating the occupation of territories in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea and Sevastopol.

Those sanctioned include Russian propagandist Irina Kuksenkova and former Ukrainian MP Yurii Onyshchuk, who began collaborating with the Russians after the occupation of Melitopol.

Some individuals on the list have previously already been "elected" as members of local councils established by the Kremlin-appointed occupation authorities.

The President's Office stressed that the so-called "elections" held by Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories are illegal, and their results carry no legal force.

Information on the sanctioned individuals is planned to be shared with international partners so they can introduce similar restrictions within their own jurisdictions.

Background: Russia held sham elections to the lower house of its parliament, the State Duma, in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson Oblast with the help of themed polling stations styled after different periods of history – from the Russian Empire to the post-war USSR.

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Originally reported by Ukrainska Pravda by Roman Petrenko. Read the full story at the source.