While Ukraine pushes for territory reconquest, Russia continues to hold elections in occupied territories.

Even as Ukraine continues a counter-offensive to recapture the Russian-occupied land, Moscow intends to continue efforts to strengthen its political control over Ukraine’s four occupied territories, which were illegally annexed last year, through regional to schedule elections on September 10. This is reported by the Russian news agency Tass.

Russia’s Central Election Commission has announced that the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south will hold elections for legislative assemblies and municipal representative bodies, according to a post on the Telegram messaging app.

“For the first time, our new regions are holding elections together with the whole country,” Ella Pamfilova, the chair of the committee, told Tass.

The frontline of the war stretches for 600 miles which cut across the four regions, while the Ukrainian counter-offensive was underway in both the east and south.

How legitimate the elections will be is an open question, given the general lack of civil liberties in occupied territories. Russia held referenda last September in the four regions considered illegal by most of the world. After five days of staged votingin which many residents said they were forced to vote by armed soldiers, the Russian plenipotentiary officials announced alleged results that, as expected, showed overwhelming support for joining Russia.

Soon after, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia signed decrees and held elaborate ceremonies to officially declare the regions part of Russia as the United States and the European Union denounced the moves and imposed tougher sanctions.

Andrew E. Kramer reporting contributed.