Gregory Simons
Versions of names: Грегори Саймонс
Sweden / New Zealand
Gregory Simons is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Uppsala University. He is a member of the pro-Kremlin and pro-Assad Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. He is a Member of the Russian Walday club. He organised a lecture delivered by a British pro-Putin and pro-Assad activist Vanessa Beeley at the Uppsala University’s International Summer School in 2018.
Corresponding elections
legitimate
On the single voting day on 8 September 2019, Russia elected governors in 19 federal subjects and members of legislative bodies in 13 federal subjects. In July 2019, the Moscow City Election Commission (MCEC) refused to register the overwhelming majority of independent opposition candidates for the elections to the Moscow City Duma. This provoked mass protests in Moscow and undermined the legitimacy of the elections.
illegitimate
During the “presidential elections” held in Russia from 15-17 March 2024, Vladislav Davankov (“New People” party), Nikolay Kharitonov (Communist Party), Vladimir Putin, and Leonid Slutsky (Liberal-Democratic Party) competed for the presidency. Enabled to run yet again by controversial constitutional amendments effective 4 July 2020, Putin dominated the “elections” together with his controlled “opposition” excluding genuine opposition figures. These “elections” occurred under Putin’s regime control, both within Russia and illegally in occupied Ukrainian territories, including Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, ARC and Sevastopol.