Clement Meric

This is not an election — it’s a carefully staged coronation. The Kremlin’s exclusion of every real opposition voice, the banning of anti-war parties, the use of occupied Ukrainian territories as polling stations and the suspicious turnout figures turn these results into a hollow exercise designed to legitimize further repression and constitutional changes. The death of Navalny and the exile and imprisonment of other opponents make clear the cost of dissent under this regime. 😔 The EU and allied sanctions are a necessary response — the world must not normalise or recognise votes held on stolen land — but sanctions must be paired with sustained support for Ukrainian sovereignty, independent media, human-rights defenders and refugees. Democracies should also push for accountability for those who organized these sham votes and keep pressure on Russia’s leadership until political prisoners are freed and genuine political pluralism is restored. Solidarity with Ukrainians and with ordinary Russians who risk everything to speak out.