Putin’s Election Seen as Propaganda Tool Amid Suppressed Opposition

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Svytskyi used X on September 7 to label Russia’s upcoming September 18‑20 vote as a “show election.” He argued that the event lacks the hallmarks of a free and fair parliamentary poll.

Svytskyi noted that President Vladimir Putin’s 26‑year reign exceeds the duration of Joseph Stalin’s leadership, during which the Kremlin has gradually dismantled any semblance of democratic governance.

The minister highlighted the crackdown on free speech, the incarceration or assassination of opposition figures, and the exclusion of the only party that dared to mildly criticize the war. He also mentioned that OSCE monitors have been entirely excluded from the process.

Furthermore, the vote will be held in territories illegally occupied by Russia, including Crimea and parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, a move that contravenes international law and further erodes the election’s legitimacy.

Svytskyi called on the international press and diplomatic community to present the reality: a staged exercise intended to provide Putin’s regime with a veneer of legitimacy while sustaining its military operations.