Ukraine warns Russia may stage false-flag attacks during illegal Duma voting
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Russia may carry out terrorist attacks during illegal elections in occupied Ukrainian territories (Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)
Russia may stage provocations and false-flag terrorist
attacks in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories during Russian State Duma
elections, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said
on Sept. 10.
The service described Russia as the aggressor state and
stressed that holding Russian elections in the temporarily occupied territories
is illegal. It said Russia hopes such provocations will justify repression
against local residents, discredit Ukraine and derail the U.S.-mediated peace
process.
Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said there is a high
likelihood that such scenarios could unfold during State Duma voting on Sept.
18–20 in the temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Donetsk and
Luhansk oblasts, as well as Crimea:
- Bombings of polling stations or ballot collection points
outside operating hours to avoid mass casualties among Russian propagandists
while still producing the desired image of a “destroyed polling station.”
- Sabotage targeting transportation or infrastructure used to
transport election commission members, followed by claims that Ukrainian drones
or sabotage groups were responsible.
- Assassination attempts against collaborators — heads of
occupation election commissions or parliamentary candidates who actively
demonstrate their loyalty to the occupiers.
The Foreign Intelligence Service advised residents of the temporarily
occupied territories to avoid crowds as much as possible, along with so-called
polling stations, administrative buildings involved in the voting process and
Russian military infrastructure, on Sept. 17–21, 2026.
On Aug. 13, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry warned observers from
the Commonwealth of Independent States against visiting Ukrainian territories
temporarily occupied by Russia, where Russia plans to illegally hold voting in
the State Duma elections.
On Aug. 10, Russia’s Supreme Court canceled the registration
of the Yabloko party’s federal list of candidates for the State Duma elections.
Yabloko was the only party to campaign on anti-war slogans.
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