---
title: "RF Prepares 'Elections' for the State Duma in Occupied Ukrainian Territories: Sociologists' Statement and the Shadow of Mobilization"
description: "The Sociological Association of Ukraine stated that the RF is preparing so-called State Duma elections in the occupied territories for 18–20 September 2026. Kyiv, the UN and the OSCE do not recognize their legality, while disputed rumors of mobilization surround the campaign."
date: 2026-09-03T07:00:08.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/rf-prepares-elections-in-occupied-ukrainian-territories
tags: [russia, ukraine, state-duma-elections, occupied-territories, mobilization, sociology]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# RF Prepares 'Elections' for the State Duma in Occupied Ukrainian Territories: Sociologists' Statement and the Shadow of Mobilization

![Moscow metro passengers in a car decorated with pro-voting banners «We vote for Russia» and «Vote online»](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/03/rf-gotovit-vybory-na-okkupirovannyh-territoriyah-ukrainy/rf-gotovit-vybory-na-okkupirovannyh-territoriyah-ukrainy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- According to the SAU Board, the RF is preparing 'elections' for the State Duma in the occupied territories for 18–20 September 2026.
- Voting will cover certain districts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and Crimea.
- Ukraine, the UN and the OSCE do not recognize the legality of these 'elections'; the SAU called on sociologists to boycott and to refrain from coverage.
- Rumors of a new mobilization after the elections (300,000 people, per Zelensky) were denied by Putin, who called them an information attack.

Russia is preparing to hold so-called elections to the State Duma in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This was announced by the Board of the Sociological Association of Ukraine (SAU), according to a report by RBC-Ukraine. According to the association, voting is scheduled for 18–20 September 2026 and will cover certain districts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The statement came against the backdrop of an active electoral campaign in Russia itself, where campaigning has already begun in public spaces and on public transport.

### 'Elections' as a Tool for Legitimizing Occupation

The Sociological Association of Ukraine emphasized that holding such 'elections' is one of the main tools for legitimizing the occupation authorities on the seized territories. According to Ukrainian sociologists, the formalized voting in these areas is intended to create an appearance of legality and 'popular will,' which can then be used for propagandistic and political purposes. Importantly, the procedure covers only certain districts rather than the full scope of the regions, which in itself points to its fragmentary and controlled nature.

### International Non-Recognition and the Position of the UN and OSCE

Ukraine, along with most countries in the world and international organizations, does not recognize the legality of the so-called RF elections in the occupied territories. Among the bodies condemning these Russian actions, the statement names the UN and the OSCE. Thus, even if the voting technically takes place, its results will carry no legitimate weight in international law and will be unable to change the status of the territories from the perspective of the diplomatic community.

### Call for a Boycott from the Sociological Community

The SAU Board addressed Ukrainian and international sociological centers, groups and companies, asking them to refrain from participating in events within the framework of the RF electoral campaign in the occupied territories. The same appeal called for a refusal to cover the progress and results of these 'elections.' The initiative is aimed at depriving the procedure of additional 'expert' and media legitimization that independent research and analysis might lend it.

### The Shadow of Mobilization: Rumors, Range Inspections and Denials

The context of the election preparations is complicated by reports of a possible new wave of mobilization. In the second half of August, it became known that inspections of military training grounds for their readiness to accommodate large numbers of people had begun in several Russian regions. According to the partisan movement 'ATESH,' such inspections were recorded at ranges in the Rostov and Moscow regions, and a new wave of mobilization in the Kremlin, per their information, is planned to be launched immediately after the State Duma elections. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also stated such intentions, saying that Russia plans to recruit 300,000 people for 2026 and 2027.

### Contradictory Data

Here the versions of the sides diverge significantly. On the one hand, the partisan movement 'ATESH' and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claim that after the State Duma elections Russia will launch a new wave of mobilization and intends to recruit about 300,000 people for 2026–2027; in their favor, data on inspections of ranges in the Rostov and Moscow regions are cited. On the other hand, in early September, the head of the RF, Vladimir Putin, publicly denied that mobilization would begin after the elections, calling the corresponding rumors an information attack. Thus, the fact of preparations for mobilization remains a matter of dispute: one side relies on field observations and statements from Kyiv's leadership, the other on a direct denial from the Kremlin. Until actual confirmation or refutation, this information should be regarded as contradictory.

The outcome of the SAU statement is a twofold picture: on the one hand, Russia seeks through 'elections' in the occupied territories to entrench its administrative and symbolic power, while on the other, the international community and the Ukrainian sociological space are building a line of non-recognition and boycott. In parallel, inconsistencies persist in assessments of a possible mobilization, making September 2026 a period of heightened political and information tension around the State Duma electoral campaign.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [RF Prepares 'Elections' in Occupied Ukrainian Territories: Sociologists Issue Statement](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rf-gotue-vibori-okupovanih-teritoriyah-ukrayini-1788418257.html) - Первичный источник заявления Правления САУ: даты 18–20.09.2026, перечень территорий, призыв к бойкоту, позиция ООН и ОБСЕ.
- [There Will Be Both Protests and Provocations: RF Foreign Ministry Prepares for State Duma Elections Abroad](https://ukraina.ru/20260821/budut-i-protesty-i-provokatsii-mid-rf-gotovitsya-k-vyboram-v-gosdumu-za-rubezhom-1082673678.html) - Контекст подготовки РФ к выборам в Госдуму; используется как фоновый контекст кампании.
- [Hybrid War and Voting in Unfriendly Countries: One Month to the State Duma Elections](https://ukraina.ru/20260820/gibridnaya-voyna-i-golosovanie-v-nedruzhestvennykh-stranakh-do-vyborov-v-gd-mesyats-1082640948.html) - Контекст подготовки РФ к выборам в Госдуму; используется как фоновый контекст кампании.
- [State Duma Elections - 2026: Who Will Russians Choose in September, Participants and Forecasts](https://www.mk.ru/politics/2026/06/16/vybory-v-gosdumu-2026-kogo-budut-vybirat-rossiyane-v-sentyabre-uchastniki-i-prognozy.html) - Общий контекст выборов в Госдуму 2026 года; не содержит данных по оккупированным территориям.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: When and where, according to the SAU, is the RF preparing 'elections' for the State Duma?
**A:** According to the Board of the Sociological Association of Ukraine, voting is scheduled for 18–20 September 2026 in certain districts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

### Q: Do Ukraine and international organizations recognize these 'elections'?
**A:** No. Ukraine, most countries in the world, as well as the UN and the OSCE, do not recognize the legality of the so-called RF elections in the occupied territories and condemn these actions.

### Q: What did the SAU propose to Ukrainian and international sociologists?
**A:** The SAU Board called on sociological centers, groups and companies to refrain from participating in events of the RF electoral campaign in the occupied territories and to refuse to cover the progress and results of these 'elections.'

### Q: Has preparation for a new mobilization after the elections been confirmed?
**A:** This is contradictory data. The 'ATESH' movement and President Zelensky spoke of plans for a new mobilization (about 300,000 people for 2026–2027) and of range inspections, whereas Vladimir Putin in early September denied these rumors, calling them an information attack.