DISINFO: Ukrainian Military Sabotages Elections in Donbas
SUMMARY
Representatives of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic have accused President Petro Poroshenko and his administration of suppressing voting in the war zone in eastern Ukraine. These representatives also claim that ballots prefilled in favour of President Poroshenko were stuffed at military polling stations, that had been specifically set up to rig the election in favour of the incumbent.
RESPONSE
One of the multiple pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives surrounding the Ukrainian elections. Ukraine’s Central Election Commission, the state body that organises and oversees elections, set up 79 polling stations in the military zone adjacent to the occupied territories and an additional 14 polling sites in military hospitals and abroad. According to Ukraine’s military command, soldiers were brought from the front to the polls on a rotation basis throughout Election Day; one group remained in deployed positions, while another voted. All polling stations were manned with international election observers and no violations were noted. As for pre-filled ballots in favour of President Poroshenko being delivered to military polling stations, this is not possible, even theoretically. All ballot deliveries are checked by at least three separate groups involved in the process: the district election commission, Central Election Commission personnel, representatives of both presidential candidates and official election observers. Ballots are stored in sealed vaults which are certified by all three groups and guarded around the clock by the National Police. Further debunking by StopFake. See here for more background about disinformation narratives surrounding presidential elections in Ukraine.