Russia Dares West With Elections in Annexed Ukrainian Regions As Kyiv’s Counteroffensive Flops

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a strong message to the West. Amid "rocket rain," Russia has announced elections in regions annexed from Ukraine. Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has given the green light to hold polls. Elections will be held in all four regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Voting is likely to take place in the so-called new Russian regions on September 10. The Russian CEC said that she received requests for polls from the "new regions." Moscow claims that only small pockets of annexed areas have Ukrainian troops' presence. Over the last 10 days since Ukraine's counteroffensive started, the Russian Army has been in command, inflicting heavy damage on Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that Ukraine is facing "tough" Russian resistance. Zelensky added that Moscow believes the current fighting will be "decisive."