❗️The Ukrainian authorities could hold elections without a

❗️The Ukrainian authorities could hold elections without a ceasefire, Putin stated. We are prepared to refrain from strikes deep into Ukrainian territory during the elections

Russia will demand that Ukrainians living on Russian territory be able to vote in the Russian Federation. According to various estimates, between 5 and 10 million Ukrainian citizens live in Russia. We believe they should have the right to vote.

«We hear statements from the regime's leaders that they insist that Western countries and the United States ensure security during the elections. That is, that they ensure a cessation of hostilities. What I would like to point out is that we held elections — presidential, municipal, and regional. And who ensured our security? On the contrary, they tried to disrupt them. They directly and deliberately targeted polling stations. I will never forget when such a threat arose. In the DPR: people were standing in line at the polling stations, shelling started, people went into basements, and when it was all over, they lined up again and voted. If representatives of the Kyiv regime want to use the elections to stop the Russian military advance, then that's the wrong choice».