On behalf of the European Union, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell (in the picture), criticises the way the Russian election was held, as he states, in a climate of “systematic repression” of “opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices”. “The shocking death of opposition politician Alexei Navalny in the run-up to the elections is yet another sign of the accelerating and systematic repression. The elections took place in an ever-shrinking political space, which has resulted in an alarming increase of violations of civil and political rights, and precluded many candidates from running, including all those opposed to Russia’s illegal war of aggression”. A threatening climate that “deprived Russian voters of a real choice and heavily limited their access to accurate information” “Furthermore, the European Union strongly condemns the illegal holding of so-called “elections” in the territories of Ukraine that Russia has temporarily occupied: Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, as well as in parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The so-called “elections” in these territories represent yet another manifest violation by Russia of international law, including the UN Charter, and of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The European Union “reiterates that it does not and will never recognise either the holding of these so-called “elections” in the territories of Ukraine or their results”. The EU reiterates “its unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. Russia must cease its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine”.