Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry slams Russia’s sham ‘elections’ in temporarily occupied territories
The Russian Federation has announced plans
to hold what
they call “elections” from Sept. 8 to 10, 2023, for local occupation
administrations in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk,
Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine, as well as in the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
In a stern rebuke issued on Sept. 8, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned the illicit elections held in regions temporarily under Russian occupation, declaring unequivocally that these elections hold no legal validity.
Russia’s actions in organizing these so-called elections blatantly violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Ukrainian legislation and international law, including the United Nations Charter, the ministry stated in an official statement published on its website.
Russia’s pseudo-elections in the temporarily occupied territories lack any legal ground and will not result in any change to the status of Ukrainian territories currently under Russian occupation.
By organizing these fake elections in Ukrainian regions and Crimea, the Kremlin continues to undermine the legitimacy of Russia’s legal system, the ministry added.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry called upon international partners to condemn Russia’s baseless and arbitrary actions and to withhold recognition of the legitimacy of any “administration” formed as a result of these illegal elections, along with any decisions they may make.
“Individuals involved in the organization of these pseudo-elections, including the leadership of the Russian Federation, representatives of occupation administrations, and electoral bodies, must be held accountable. We also propose imposing new international sanctions on them,” the ministry’s statement said.
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