The European Parliament recognized the new composition of the Russian State Duma as illegitimate

The European Parliament has stated that it does not recognize the elections to the Russian State Duma, which took place on September 18-20.

This is stated in the relevant resolution.

The European Parliament noted that they do not consider the formed parliament to be a "legitimate representative and legislative body". They also condemned violations during the elections.

The deputies declared the "deliberate destruction of any remnants of democracy in Russia", voter coercion, systematic intimidation of observers, and the use of so-called international election observation as a tool for political legitimization and the spread of disinformation.

Members of the European Parliament also condemned the holding of elections in the Russian-occupied territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) also recognized the new composition of the Russian State Duma as illegitimate. They believe that the "elections" to the State Duma did not meet the conditions of free and fair elections.

• Three-day elections to the State Duma were held in Russia on September 18–20, 2026. These were the first parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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