Russia holds elections in occupied Ukrainian regions in an effort to tighten its grip there

[Collection]Russian authorities are holding local elections in occupied parts of Ukraine this weekend in an effort to tighten their grip on the territories they illegally annexed a year ago. The voting has been denounced by Kyiv and the West, who see it as a violation of international law. The main contender in the election is United Russia, the Putin-loyal party that dominates Russian politics.