Elena Astanina, who headed a Russian election commission in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Sept. 15, Russian state media outlet TASS reported. Astanina was involved in organizing Russia's referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukraine has not commented on the incident.
The reported killing of a collaborator involved in Russia's electoral activities in occupied Ukrainian territories highlights ongoing conflict and targeted actions within the Russia-Ukraine war. It underscores Ukraine's efforts to disrupt Russian administrative control in occupied regions and signals potential risks for individuals cooperating with Russian authorities.
Elena Astanina, a Ukrainian collaborator who headed an election commission for Russia's sham referendums in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on Sept. 15, Russian state media outlet TASS reported on Sept. 17. The strike took place in the village of Zhovtneve. According to Russia's Central Election Commission, Astanina had been involved in organizing the Kremlin-backed "referendums" in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts since 2022. These results were rejected by Ukraine and most of the international community. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims, and Ukraine had not commented on the incident at the time of publication. Holding elections in occupied territories is a violation of international law. The report comes as Russia prepares for State Duma elections from September 18-20, which it plans to hold in occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, adopted a resolution on Sept. 17 urging international bodies to condemn these plans.