# ‘The veneer of democracy is all that remains in Russia,’ Kallas says as EU pledges new sanctions after State Duma election

https://mins.news/en/item/67316

- Meduza, 2026-09-21 12:21 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/21/the-veneer-of-democracy-is-all-that-remains-in-russia-eu-foreign-policy-chief-kallas-says-brussels-pledges-new-sanctions-after-state-duma-elections

> The EU is preparing sanctions over Russia’s recent State Duma election, targeting organizers, candidates who ran in occupied Ukrainian territories, and others Brussels holds responsible for undermining free elections. The bloc said the vote showed democracy’s continued erosion, criticized the exclusion of Yabloko candidates, and rejected the results in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

## Stories

- [Russian Parliamentary Elections and Political System](https://mins.news/en/topic/russia-election-and-political-system) — Markdown: https://mins.news/en/topic/russia-election-and-political-system.md

## Related coverage

- [United Russia would have won just 34% without ballot stuffing, analysis says](https://mins.news/en/item/67944) — Meduza, 2026-09-21
- [Putin’s party wins record Duma majority in Kremlin-controlled elections as EU vows sanctions](https://mins.news/en/video/67913) — euronews, 2026-09-21
- [West tried to interfere in State Duma election but failed, lawmaker says](https://mins.news/en/item/67464) — TASS, 2026-09-21
- [Putin’s United Russia party set to retain power after vote hit by cyberattacks and drones](https://mins.news/en/item/66820) — euronews, 2026-09-21