Ukraine's reaction to Russia's 'elections'
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that holding Russian presidential elections in "temporarily occupied" Ukrainian territories is illegal.
AA
In a written statement, the ministry evaluated the presidential elections that Russia plans to hold in the Ukrainian territories it has illegally annexed.
The statement, which noted that holding presidential elections in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, as well as in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which Russia has illegally annexed, is "illegal and will have no legal consequences," included the following remarks:
"Forcing millions of Ukrainian citizens living in temporarily occupied territories or those who are forcibly present on Russian territory to participate in these so-called elections is also illegal. The aforementioned, combined with the lack of any signs that the election campaign in the Russian Federation complies with universally accepted democratic principles and electoral standards, and the elimination of opposition figures by Russian authorities, casts doubt on the impartiality and legitimacy of the results of these so-called elections. We call on Ukrainian citizens living in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories or those who are forcibly present on Russian territory not to participate in the so-called Russian presidential elections."
POLLS TO OPEN FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
The statement conveyed that Ukraine has called on foreign countries and international organizations not to send international observers to the elections organized by the Kremlin, particularly on Ukraine's sovereign territory, and not to recognize the election results, while also warning that those who violate Ukrainian laws will be held legally accountable.
As the Ukraine-Russia War continues, the public in Russia will begin heading to the polls tomorrow for the presidential election.
Polls will also open to elect the President of Russia in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, which it annexed in 2022.
The Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson were illegally annexed by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 30, 2022.