The Russian Federation Council has officially scheduled the presidential elections for March 17- 2024. This decision was unanimously made during a televised meeting.

Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council, stated that this announcement marks the commencement of the presidential election campaign.

These elections are closely tied to the process of consolidating the contested regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia in Ukraine, which Russia annexed following its military intervention.

The elections are set to take place on the second anniversary of the initiation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an event that triggered significant sanctions imposed by the Western countries on Russia.