Residents of Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city in eastern Ukraine, lined up on Tuesday to show their support for Vladimir Putin in a presidential election that he is very certain to win.
In September 2022, Russia claimed Donetsk and three other Ukrainian territories as its own territory, which Ukraine and the majority of UN member countries rejected as unlawful.
The March election in these areas is essential for Moscow because it demonstrates that it has integrated them as “new territories,” despite the fact that it does not have complete military authority over them. Ukraine claims the exercise is unlawful and invalid.
Putin must collect 300,000 signatures in support of his candidacy by January 31 because he has chosen to run for re-election without being nominated by a political party.
Donetsk supporters expressed their willingness to add their names to the list.
The fight has been going on for almost two years, and neither side has made any major progress in several months.
There is little indication that it will finish soon. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, warned that the war would last longer if sanctions against Russia were eased on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
