A News Agency

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas argued that the Duma elections in Russia were a process with a predetermined outcome, saying this pointed to a setback for Russian democracy.

Kallas claimed that the Kremlin had silenced opposition voices, that the only registered party opposing the war in Ukraine had been prevented from participating in the election, and that international election observers had been excluded. Kallas's assessment is in line with the EU's earlier criticism of the shrinking space for opposition in Russia and the lack of international election observation.

Arguing that only a semblance of democracy remains in Russia, Kallas said she had proposed measures against those who facilitated the holding of these elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine.