Elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses a strong protest and condemns the unlawful organization and holding of elections of deputies to the State Duma of the Russian Federation on September 17-19, 2021 in the occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and forcible involvement of citizens of Ukraine with passports of Russian Federation, illegally issued in the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

UA writes with the reference to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The ministry views the organization and holding of illegal voting as a continuation of Russia’s gross violations of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The ministry noted that such actions of the Russian Federation also grossly violate the fundamental principles and norms of international law, the obligations of the Russian Federation under international treaties, where both Ukraine and Russia are parties, the legislation of Ukraine, and also contradict the UN Charter, a number of resolutions of the UN General Assembly.

“The holding of elections by the Russian Federation on the territory of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol is illegal, and their results will not have any legal consequences” – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stressed.

It is noted that the involvement of citizens of Ukraine living in the temporarily occupied territory in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as almost 1.5 million voters who now live in the temporarily occupied Crimea, will significantly misrepresent the results of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation and put them under question on their legitimacy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on foreign states and international organizations to resolutely condemn the illegal actions of the Russian Federation, to clearly declare the non-recognition of the election results in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the illegitimacy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation formed in this way, to increase political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation, in particular by sanctions.

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