#Occupied Territories

Pensioners from occupied territories must inform the PFU about no payments from Russia, otherwise pensions will stop. Online, video, and mail options are available.

On 24 September, the Saeima of Latvia adopted amendments allowing inspections of grain cargo from third countries to verify the authenticity of its origin. The measure is aimed at identifying grain exported from the occupied territories of Ukraine.

The European Union stated that it does not recognize the 'elections' to the Russian State Duma held in the occupied territories of Ukraine and intends to impose sanctions on the organizers of the voting and on the candidates.

The Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, reported the return of 15 Ukrainians from occupied territories, including a 96-year-old resident of Zheleznyi Port and a 74-year-old resident of Kherson who suffered a stroke.

In an interview with CBS News, Volodymyr Zelensky stated that elections in Ukraine are possible only with a ceasefire lasting several months. He identified 9 million voters abroad and the residents of occupied territories as the key challenges.

In the occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia has built a conveyor for the militarization of children — from kindergarten contests to drone-operator training centers. We break down the algorithm by which minors are being drawn into the Kremlin's war machine.

Ukraine's FSS warned that Russian special services may stage terrorist attacks and sabotage on 18–20 September on the occupied territories during the sham State Duma elections, pinning them on Ukraine. The intelligence service urges residents of the TOT to avoid gatherings of people from 17 to 21 September.

The UAF General Staff announced the destruction of UAV command posts, radars, and drone launch sites in occupied territories on 7–8 September. Damage is being verified; meanwhile, drones attacked the Saratov Oil Refinery.

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.

In Berdiansk and Mariupol on the occupied territories, the communal crisis is worsening: disruptions to electricity and water are creating sanitary risks and giving rise to a drinking water market.

In occupied Luhansk, heating season preparations are stalling: heat mains are only 50% ready, gas and electrical networks — 30%. Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Kharchenko records the disappearance of even the surviving infrastructure.

Ukrainian Ombudsman Lyubynets reported: a mandatory history textbook imposing Russian imperial myths on children has been approved in schools on occupied territories. The course will be introduced on September 1, 2026.