Statement of the Czech Friends of Free Russia on the Russian so-called “elections” on the occupied territories of Ukraine and beyond

Between 18 and 20 September 2026, the Russian authorities will conduct yet another round of their legitimisation ritual, the so-called parliamentary “elections”. This also affects the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the illegally occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

We, the Czech Friends of Free Russia, resolutely reject and denounce these so-called  elections as illegitimate and undemocratic. They are conducted in violation of international law and Russia’s international commitments, including those undertaken as  OSCE  Participating State framework, and in particular in contradiction with Russia’s own Constitution, which defines free elections as the highest direct expression of the power of the people. 

In relation to Ukraine, this process serves as one of the key elements of the Kremlin’s neo-colonial policy and represents a direct continuation of the ongoing Russian war of aggression aimed at destroying Ukrainian statehood and nationhood and consolidating its illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Ukrainian territory. 

Thus, we call on the international community, above all the European Union, its institutions and the governments of its Member States, to condemn this practice, declare the illegal voting conducted on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine null and void and refuse to recognise its results and impose additional sanctions against entities and individuals involved in organising, facilitating or legitimising these so-called elections in the temporarily  occupied territories of Ukraine.

In this context, we deem it important to recall how the Russian authorities have systematically destroyed independent election monitoring and eliminated opportunities for Russian civil society  to observe elections on Russian territory. The most visible example is the case of Golos, Russia’s longest serving independent election monitoring organisation, and its co-chairman Grigory Melkonyants, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 and was sentenced in May 2025 to five years in prison on politically motivated charges..

The Russian authorities have also refused to invite an OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, in violation of the commitments Russia undertook as an OSCE Participating State. This will be the third consecutive nationwide electoral process in Russia without independent OSCE observation.

Taking into consideration how the Russian authorities are planning to conduct the so-called parliamentary “elections” in September 2026, the exclusion and deregistration of opposition candidates and party lists, the repression of independent election monitors, journalists and civil society, and other illegitimate means used to suppress political competition and manufacture support for the ruling elite, we consider these elections neither free nor fair and lacking democratic legitimacy.

We therefore call for the outcome of the 2026 State Duma elections not to be recognised as legitimate, and for targeted sanctions against those responsible for  repression against independent election monitors, journalists, civil society groups and political actors standing up against the Kremlin’s dictatorial practices.

We the undersigned:

Gabriela Svárovská, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Co-Chair of the Greens

Petr Fiala, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

Helena Langšádlová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Minister for Science, Research and Innovation

Jan Lipavský, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Minister of Foreign Affairs

Jana Černochová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Minister of Defence

Petr Bendl, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Minister of Agriculture

Martin Baxa, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Minister of Culture

Martin Kupka, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Chairman of Civic Democratic Party (ODS)

Zdeněk Hřib, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Chairman of the Pirate Party, former Mayor of the City of Prague

Marek Benda, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Club of Civil Democratic Party (ODS)

Olga Richterová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Club of Pirate Party

Jan Bartošek, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic, former Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies

Jakub Krainer, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Pavel Žáček, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Marie Kršková, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Ondřej Kolář, Member of European Parliament

Hayato Okamura, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Václav Pláteník, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Jana Filipovičová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Adéla Šípová, Member of Senat, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Katerina Demetrashvili, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Markéta Gregorová, Member of European Parliament

Tomáš Fiala, Member of Senat, Parliament of the Czech Republic

David Smoljak, Member of Senat, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Štěpán Slovák, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Karel Haas, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Jiří Havránek, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Lucie Bartošová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Libor Turek, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Ondřej Krutílek, Member of European Parliament

Petr Sokol, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Ester Weimerová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Martin Exner, former Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Jan Bauer, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Pavel Karpíšek, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Veronika Vrecionová, Member of European Parliament

Kateřina Stojanová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Michaela Moricová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Vendula Svobodová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Ivan Adamec, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Jakub Janda, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Jana Bacíková, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Lenka Martínková Španihelová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Veronika Kovářová, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Irena Ferčíková Konečná, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic