A number of 1 212 591 citizens of the Russian Federation from disputed or conflict territories in Eastern Europe voted in the March 18 presidential election of Russia. Almost 74 000 of these are from the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. Promo-LEX Association drew up a map of the Eastern European disputed and conflict entities, showing how the people there voted in the Russia presidential election, IPN reports.

In these areas, 93.86% of the voters supported Vladimir Putin. In the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, 96.4% of the electors voted for this candidate, this being the highest percentage.

The Russian Federation established no polling place in Donbas region in Ukraine for the reason that it didn’t get the consent of the Ukrainian authorities. However, the Russian authorities mentioned no obstacle to opening polling places in the Transnistrian region.

Except for Crimea, in the other conflict or post-conflict areas in Eastern Europe Russia does not assume responsibility for the exercise of jurisdiction, but takes actions that show that it has full control. Promo-LEX said it is evident that Russia continues to offer political, diplomatic and media support and to exercise very generous control in conflict or post-conflict areas in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the way in which polling places were established and run also confirms this.

Promo-LEX reiterates that this support is offered in breach of the international law and the bilateral documents signed with the Republic of Moldova. The Association regrets the lack of clear official reactions on the part of the Moldovan constitutional authorities, in particular the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, to the holding of the presidential election of Russia on Moldova’s territory, noting that such unilateral actions were harshly criticized at the official level in the past.