Zelensky signs decree sanctioning 44 individuals linked to illegal Russian elections in occupied Ukraine

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree implementing sanctions approved by the National Security and Defense Council against 44 individuals involved in staging illegal elections for the Russian State Duma in occupied Ukrainian territories. The sanctioned persons are said to act in Russia's interests, facilitating the temporary occupation across Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, the Crimean Peninsula and Sevastopol.

Among them are Irina Kuksenkova, identified as a propagandist, and former Ukrainian parliamentarian Yurii Onyshchuk, who collaborated after Melitopol fell under Russian control. Ukrainian authorities argue the elections lack any legal basis, violate the Hague Regulations and the Geneva Convention, and were conducted with widespread fraud, forced voting and fabricated turnout figures. The move aims to delegitimize the votes and pressure Russia, with the sanctions information to be shared with allied countries that have already denounced the elections.