The General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovalov stated this.
He mentioned that in areas currently under Russian occupation, such as Nova Kakhovka, Velyki Kopani, Skadovsk, and Hola Prystan in the Kherson region, local residents are being coerced into obtaining Russian passports ahead of the upcoming "elections." Those who don't secure these documents by September 1 are being threatened with the confiscation of their property.
"Furthermore, in the temporarily occupied Skadovsk area of the Kherson region, on August 22, a significant quantity of printed materials containing propaganda and ballots for the upcoming pseudo-elections on September 10, 2023, were brought in by the invaders from Russia," stated the General Staff spokesperson.
The invaders are actively preparing for these elections, including forming election commissions. Simultaneously, representatives of the Russian Federation's FSB have been involved in vetting candidates for these election commissions.
"In addition, the invaders and those representing the self-declared occupation authorities are spreading false information among the local population. They claim that high-level agreements have been reached involving Ukraine, Western partners, and Russia to relinquish the temporarily occupied territories in the Kherson region, currently under Russian control. This misinformation is an attempt to manipulate Ukrainians in the occupied areas to participate in the so-called elections," Kovalov explained.
On August 25, the General Staff of Ukraine reported in a morning briefing that the Russian invaders plan to hold "elections" in Zaporizhzhia oblast in a mixed format: demonstrative voting at polling stations and visits to apartments and houses.