Who can be disqualified to stand for elections in the post-conflict period, and how

Massive shelling of the energy infrastructure prompted Ukrainians to migrate abroad. Indeed, the number of departures from Ukrainian territory in November 2022 increased by 17% compared to October; in December, it rose by 39% overall. These findings are evidenced by the results of a study conducted by the Civil Network OPORA, the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory, and the telecommunications company “Vodafone Ukraine”, which provided the data for the calculations.

Demographic and migration crises are some of the major challenges caused by the full-scale invasion. In fact, the Kremlin has sent Ukraine's human capital situation into a steep dive. However, demographic problems are not new for our country, they have been challenging us for a long time now.  The 1990s optimistic advertising slogan of “We are 52 million” has never been true to fact. Today, it looks like from a different reality.

At the same time, in the foreign information space and on various discussion platforms in democratic countries all over the world, messages are shared on a rolling basis, trying to pressure Ukraine to hold elections in conditions of war. This position is supported by the fact that Russia is holding its "elections." Therefore, we need to explain why the Russian elections have nothing to do with a genuine democratic vote, and therefore, they do not lead to the formation of legitimate authorities not only in the occupied territories but also throughout Russia. With this in view, we need to focus on three key points.

On February 16, 2024, the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation announced that Alexei Navalny died in a correctional facility. From the perspective of Ukrainians, Alexei Navalny cuts a divisive figure. On the one hand, he criticized Putin’s regime, but on the other hand, he played along with the Kremlin’s rhetoric about Ukraine. From the perspective of the West, which keeps trying to find “good Russians” and establish a political dialogue with them, Navalny was a symbol of the Russian opposition and the biggest threat to current authoritarian regime. It is likely that the Kremlin officials also saw an existential threat in Navalny. First, they banned him from participating in the elections, then they tried to kill him, and finally they put him in prison, and he never made it out alive.

The Center for Assistance in War Crimes Documentation is a safe space arranged by the Civil Network OPORA in Warsaw. Here, Ukrainian people who have witnessed or been victims of Russian war crimes can share their stories to make sure that international courts bring the perpetrators to justice in the future.

On March 15-17, 2024, Russia plans to hold so-called presidential election, in particular, in the occupied territories of Ukraine. As seen during the previous 10 years of Russian occupation of certain areas of the Donbas region, this election will be used as an attempt to legalize the annexation of invaded territories. However, involvement of local population in pseudo-election process in the conditions of armed hostilities, which may lead to civilian casualties, violates the international humanitarian law concerning protection of the civilian population during an armed conflict and may be qualified as a war crime. The above comments were made by Civil Network OPORA’s lawyer during an interview with online media outlet “Novyny Donbasu”.

The first month of 2024 was marked by Russia’s strong information operations. The Kremlin has been using all available media platforms to drive a wedge between the people and the government of Ukraine, while denying the existence of Ukrainian identity. At the same time, Russia pretends to be interested in negotiations to buy some time and divert the world community’s attention away from the war in Ukraine. However, the aggressive actions and intentions of Russian ultra-nationalists forced Europe to give serious consideration to the threat of direct military confrontation with the Russian Federation.

The UK government has announced funding to support the documentation, investigation and prosecution of war crimes in Ukraine.

29 listopada b.r. na zaproszenie Ambasady Brytyjskiej i Fundacji im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego miałam zaszczyt zaprezentować działalność naszego Centrum Pomocy w Dokumentowaniu Zbrodni Wojennych podczas konferencji "Sprawiedliwość dla Ukrainy", która odbyła się w Muzeum Historii Polski na terenie Cytadeli Warszawskiej. Nasze Centrum zostało otwarte w stolicy Polski we wrześniu ubiegłego roku z inicjatywy Sieci Obywatelskiej OPORA.