September 21, 2026 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom issued the following statement to condemn Russia’s sham elections in Ukraine’s territories breaching Ukraine’s sovereignty:

“Holding Russia’s State Duma elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as Russia did in Crimea and Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, is a gross violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, and the UN Charter. 

“These sham elections are part of a wider system of occupation: the imposition of Russian administration, law, media, education, language and citizenship, backed by coercion and repression. This includes reports of the enforced disappearance, detention, and torture of thousands of Ukrainian citizens. 

“These regions are part of Ukraine and holding sham elections cannot alter the status of these territories under international law. We continue to stand with Ukraine. 

“We call on the international community to reject Russia’s attempts to normalise its occupation, condemn the holding of sham elections on Ukrainian territory, call for those involved in the organisation of the election to be held to account, support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and demand that Russia immediately end its war of aggression against Ukraine and agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Borders must never be redrawn by force.”