The Kremlin is holding votes in occupied regions of Ukraine in a process that has been dismissed as “fake elections” and a “sham” by Kyiv and western capitals.
The vote comes as 54 Russian regions also hold votes, and the Ukrainian ballots are aimed at bolstering Vladimir Putin’s claims on the occupied areas. Some of the votes concern territories where the Kremlin does not hold de facto control despite Putin declaring their annexation last September.
