Russia concluded regional and municipal elections on Sunday, drawing international criticism for holding the votes, particularly in regions annexed from Ukraine.

Despite allegations of vote rigging and Ukraine’s condemnation of Moscow’s attempts to tighten its grip on these territories, the elections delivered strong support for President Vladimir Putin and his United Russia party.

The Council of Europe, Europe’s foremost human rights group, labelled the week-long vote as a blatant violation of international law. Kyiv, along with its allies, deemed it an illegal effort to strengthen Russia’s control over regions in Ukraine’s south and east.

In Russia and the annexed regions, the election results underscored the Kremlin’s message that Putin is the foremost guarantor of stability.

However, competition was limited in these regions as strong candidates, including some from the main opposition Communist Party, were blocked from running by authorities.

Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of Golos, a voter rights’ group designated as a “foreign agent” by the Russian government, reported instances of vote rigging in various parts of the country, characterising these elections as lacking authenticity.

Opposition candidates faced detention, vandalism of their vehicles, and even military draft notices being served to election observers.

The Kremlin has consistently maintained that Putin enjoys widespread popularity in Russia, citing opinion polls and numerous election victories as evidence of free and fair elections.

Notably, all significant legal political forces in Russia, including opposition parties, maintain a level of loyalty to Putin and his policies, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

United Russia won every provincial governor’s race it participated in across the country.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a close ally of Putin, was re-elected with more than 75% of the vote, despite virtually no opposition.

Critics argue that elections in Moscow are susceptible to manipulation due to the electronic voting system, which they claim is impossible to audit. Similar systems have been introduced in various other Russian regions.

These elections have further strained Russia’s relations with Ukraine and drawn international condemnation, raising concerns about the state of democracy and political competition within the country.