Parliament slams Russian State Duma elections as complete sham

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, MEPs say the “fake” ballot was held in a climate of fear and against the backdrop of Moscow’s continued illegal war against Ukraine.

Strongly rejecting the Russian State Duma elections held on 18-20 September 2026 as neither free nor fair, the text, adopted on Thursday by 482 votes in favour, 41 against and with 39 abstentions, denounces all electoral violations committed by President Vladimir Putin’s regime during the vote, as well as the long-standing and intentional destruction of any remnants of democracy in Russia.

Parliament notes that during the recent fake ballot, there were no genuine alternative candidates, no free media, no credible observers and no political freedoms, with critics of the regime having been either imprisoned, murdered or forced into exile. MEPs also condemn the fact that so-called “elections” were conducted in parts of the Russian-occupied Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, as well as in Moldova’s Transnistrian region and in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia.

Parliament refuses to recognise the Russian State Duma as legitimate

Parliament refuses to recognise the Russian State Duma as the legitimate representative and legislative body of the Russian Federation. This includes any legal or political consequences deriving from the illegal organisation of so-called “elections” in occupied parts of Ukraine. MEPs call on all EU countries to adopt a similar policy of non-recognition, refrain from any official contact with the newly constituted Duma and its members, and oppose the participation of such Russian representatives in interparliamentary assemblies. They also speak out against the normalisation of Russia’s participation in international sporting and cultural events.

MEPs want strict EU sanctions against Russian officials involved in repression

EU member states must introduce further extensive restrictive measures against individuals and entities involved in the political persecution in Russia and in Moscow’s continued brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, MEPs say. This must include judges, prosecutors, officials of Rosfinmonitoring (the federal financial monitoring service of the Russian Federation), and operatives involved in repression, including transnational repression, members of Russia’s Central Election Commission, and officials involved in the organisation of staged electoral processes in occupied parts of Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

No normalisation of EU relations with Russia

The text finally calls for continued support for Russian democratic forces who are working for a democratic future in their country and openly speaking out against the illegal war against Ukraine, as well as against Russia’s hybrid war against European democracies. The resolution reaffirms, however, that EU relations with Russia cannot be normalised without. among others, a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, based on full territorial integrity and complete withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of prisoners of war, the return of forcibly deported Ukrainian children, Russia’s payment of full reparations and compensation to Ukraine, and full accountability for crimes committed against Ukraine.