Head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation is suspected for the elections in Kherson region

The Security Service of Ukraine has served a notice of suspicion to the head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Ella Pamfilova, of involvement in the organization of illegal electoral processes in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region.

Information about the suspicion was published on the website of the Prosecutor General's Office.

According to Ukrainian law enforcement, Pamfilova acted in collusion with the top political leadership of the Russian Federation and in September 2022 organized the so-called "referendums" on the secession of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions from Ukraine and their accession to Russia. In 2023, she, according to the investigation, ensured the holding of pseudo-elections to the occupation authorities within the framework of the "single election day" and organized the election process for the Russian president in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region.

The SBU charges Pamfilova with a number of crimes under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including complicity in the encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of the state, justification and recognition of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, including repeatedly and through the media, as well as violation of the procedure for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory.

According to the Peacemaker resource, Ella Pamfilova was born on September 12, 1953 in Almaty, Tashkent region (Uzbekistan), is a citizen of the Russian Federation and lives in Moscow. Since March 28, 2016, she has been the head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, and in 2014-2016 she was the Russian Ombudsman.

She was involved in actions that are regarded as an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as in the organization and legitimization of illegal electoral processes in the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, she is accused of organizing the 2018 presidential elections in Crimea and participating in propaganda activities related to the occupation of Ukrainian territories.

On October 6, 2022, Pamfilova was added to the European Union's sanctions list for actions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In addition, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine suspects her of committing criminal offenses under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in particular, complicity in the encroachment on the territorial integrity of the state and waging an aggressive war.

Also in early February, the Security Service of Ukraine served a notice of suspicion to Russian journalist and key curator of the occupation media in Kherson region Oleksandr Malkevich. He publicly called for the seizure of Ukrainian territories and contributed to the implementation of the Kremlin's information policy.

Анна Бальчінос