Russia stages State Duma elections in occupied Ukraine, bars OSCE

Russian State Duma elections began Friday — the first since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Voting is also taking place in the areas annexed from Ukraine in the east as Putin looks to reinforce popular support for the war. OSCE election observers are not invited to monitor the outcome of the elections, a telling signal, critics say, that the Kremlin has no intentions of conducting free and fair elections. "Russia’s refusal to invite an election observation mission seriously breaches its international commitments and shows a worrying disregard for democratic standards. Election observation is not optional — it is something that all OSCE participating States have agreed to, and it is a cornerstone of transparency and accountability," OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pere Joan Pons told Fox News Digital.