Putin allows elections and deportations under martial law

Russia has changed the state of martial law. This means that sham "elections" and "referendums" can now be held in the annexed territories, and people may be deported.

Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza

Details: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has signed a legislative amendment to the law "On martial law", which, among other things, allows for elections in the annexed territories and deportation of residents.

Martial Law now provides for the possible "forced and controlled movement of citizens from the territory where martial law has been imposed to the territory where martial law has not been imposed".

The amendments to the Martial Law also introduced the possibility of holding "referendums and elections to state and local government bodies" if the decision to hold them is made by the Central Election Commission "following consultations with the federal executive body responsible for the development and implementation of state policy and regulatory frameworks in the sphere of defence and the federal executive body".

Elections may be held either on the entire territory where martial law has been imposed or only on a part of it.

The amendments to the Martial Law were introduced before the second reading of draft law 168783-8, which initially proposed replacing the term "member of the Federation Council [upper chamber of the Russian parliament]" with "senator of the Russian Federation" in a number of federal laws. It was introduced in July 2022, and the first reading occurred in March 2023. The amended draft law was passed in the second reading on 17 May and the third reading on 18 May.

For reference: As of the end of May 2023, martial law was introduced by Russia in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine (since 20 October 2022). Russia claims these territories as its own after annexing them and holding sham referendums. Ukraine and the world do not recognise them as Russian.

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