Explaining complex things in simple words: Russian "elections"

On March 17, 2024, the so-called "presidential elections" will be held in Russia and in the occupied territories controlled by the Putin regime.

● The Russian dictatorship has long had nothing to do with democracy, in particular the procedure of open and competitive elections. There is no doubt that Putin will once again be proclaimed the “winner” of the election race.

● Due to illegal manipulations with the Constitution of the Russian Federation, total propaganda, and the destruction of any manifestations of political competition, the Putin regime has retained power for almost a quarter of a century.

● Russian election campaigns long ago turned into a farce and imitation of the will. The last truly competitive presidential elections in the Russian Federation were in 1996, although their results were most likely falsified.

● The Putin regime does not shy away from gangster-like methods and physically eliminates political opponents. Boris Nemtsov was killed in 2015, and Alexey Navalny was killed in 2024.

● Putin's rule poses a real threat to millions of people, both inside and outside Russia. The dictatorship constantly narrows and violates the rights of Russian citizens, drags the country into bloody conflicts. Neighbouring and remote countries become victims of Putin's aggression.

● The Putin regime flouts international law. Russia has launched a genocidal war against Ukraine, is trying to annex Ukrainian territories, it is trying to destroy the world order based on rules together with the North Korean, Iranian, and other odious regimes.

● Putin and his entourage regularly resort to irresponsible blackmail of humanity with nuclear war and a global catastrophe.

● Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of committing grave war crimes. A warrant for his arrest was issued exactly one year before the so-called "elections."

● Despite repeated condemnation by the world community, the Putin regime continues to resort to legally null and void measures in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraineunder the guise of "referenda" and "elections."

● The illegal and forced involvement of millions of Ukrainian citizens from the temporarily occupied territories in the so-called "presidential elections in the Russian Federation" additionally calls into question the objectivity and legitimacy of any announced results.

● The international community's only logical and honest political response will be to refuse to recognize Putin as Russia's legitimate leader. Just as the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus is not recognized.

The first step towards formal non-recognition of Putin was taken by the PACE in a recommendation to European governments last October. The same recommendation was voiced last month at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. A similar initiative was discussed in the U.S. Congress.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security