“Elections” in “South Ossetia”

The 2026 election in Russia is over and everybody knows the outcome long before the results are made public. Elections in Russia, however, also serve as a means to claim control over occupied territory. Russia has once again staged an “election” in the occupied Tskhinvali region so called South Ossetia, a territory internationally recognized as part of Georgia but controlled by Russian military forces since the 2008 war. These so‑called elections have no legal standing under international law, no democratic legitimacy, and no connection to the will of the people who once lived there. They are a performance of sovereignty by an occupying power, designed to normalize annexation, rewrite history, and undermine Georgia’s territorial integrity.

To understand the weight of this act, we must recall how the occupation began. In August 2008, after years of escalating tensions and Russian provocations, war broke out between Russia and Georgia. Over five days, Russian forces advanced deep into Georgian territory, bombed civilian areas, and supported separatist militias. According to international investigations, including the EU‑mandated Tagliavini Report, Russia’s military intervention was disproportionate and violated Georgia’s sovereignty. Hundreds of civilians were killed, thousands displaced, and entire villages in South Ossetia were ethnically cleansed. When the guns fell silent, Russia declared the region “independent,” stationed thousands of troops there, and began a long process of borderization fencing off Georgian land meter by meter.

Even though the territory is governed entirely by Russian military, financial, and political control by staging electoral rituals, Russia attempts to fabricate the image of a functioning state. No credible international observer recognise these elections. No democratic institution validates them. They exist only to serve Moscow’s narrative: that Georgia’s land is no longer Georgia’s.

And at the center of this performance stands Russia’s man in Tskhinvali: Marat Kambolov. His title “prime minister” is a facade. His authority does not come from the people of so- called South Ossetia; it comes from Moscow. Kambolov is not a leader but a manager of occupation, a loyal executor of Kremlin directives. His role is to maintain Russia’s grip on the region, to ensure that every political process including these staged elections reinforces Russia’s dominance. He embodies the depth of Russian influence: local institutions hollowed out, replaced by structures that serve foreign power rather than local people.

Russia’s strategy is not limited to Georgia. It interferes in Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the Baltic states. It funds extremist groups, spreads disinformation, and uses energy, migration, and military presence as tools of coercion. It is a cruel power that thrives on destabilization, fear, and silence.

And silence is exactly what Georgia’s government offered until it became impossible to remain silent. While European partners, NATO allies, and international organizations swiftly condemned the illegal elections, Georgia’s government remained quiet. Embassies posted statements. International organizations spoke out. Social media filled with clear, principled messages defending Georgia’s sovereignty.

Only after all of this, only after the world had already spoken, did the Georgian government finally issue its own condemnation.

This delay reveals a troubling pattern: hesitation when clarity is needed, caution when courage is required, silence until pressure becomes unavoidable. A government that speaks last on matters of sovereignty sends a dangerous message that violations can continue, that occupation can deepen, that Russia can test the limits without consequence.

Georgia deserves leadership that speaks truth without hesitation. Leadership that defends sovereignty not only on paper but in practice. Leadership that understands that silence is not diplomacy but a surrender.

Russia did not stop interfering in Georgia. It simply changed its methods. And every illegal election held on occupied Georgian land is a warning: the struggle for freedom, dignity, and territorial integrity is not over.