The "elections" held by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are illegal and do not create any legal basis for expanding Russian jurisdiction over Ukrainian territory, BTA reported.
This is stated in a statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry regarding the "elections" for the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Ukrinform reported.
"On September 18-20, Russia will hold the so-called "elections" for the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is a farce staged by the occupying state, which has nothing to do with democratic elections and does not create any legal basis for the expansion of Russian jurisdiction over any part of the territory of Ukraine,” the statement said.
The ministry stressed that since 2014, the only legitimate results of votes affecting the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine have been the results reflected on the screens of the UN General Assembly, including the vote in which 143 UN member states confirmed the illegality of the occupation and demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from all Ukrainian territories within their internationally recognized borders.
In this context, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that no "vote" organized by Russia at gunpoint changes the internationally recognized status of these territories and that the temporary occupation does not create sovereign rights for the occupying state.
"Ukraine does not recognize neither the holding of these illegal "elections" nor their invalid results. We call on the states of the world, international organizations and other subjects of international law also not to recognize these actions of Russia and not to consider them as an expression of the legitimate political will of the people in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. We warn against taking any part in this illegal undertaking, which would entail legal consequences in national and international jurisdictions," the statement said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also stressed that the inclusion in the Russian parliament of representatives elected in illegal elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and other countries further undermines the legitimacy of the entire composition of the Russian State Duma.
"Any "elections" in modern Russia are simply a farce. "After more than a quarter of a century of (Vladimir) Putin's rule, this country lacks democracy, freedom of speech, political pluralism and any respect for basic civil liberties. We call on the international community to call things by their real names: the so-called "elections" for the Russian State Duma are just a show designed to create the illusion of public support for the aggressive policies of the regime in Moscow," the ministry noted.