Russia is holding so-called “elections” to the State Duma on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories from September 18 to 20. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it recognizes neither the holding of the vote nor its results.
This is stated in a statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry described the Russia-organized vote as a farce that has nothing to do with democratic elections and creates no legal grounds for extending Russian jurisdiction over any part of Ukraine’s territory.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that since 2014, the international community has repeatedly confirmed the illegality of Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territories. In particular, 143 UN member states supported the demand that Russia withdraw its troops from all Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognized borders.
The ministry stressed that the Russia-organized “vote” does not change the internationally recognized status of the occupied territories, while temporary occupation does not grant the occupying state sovereign rights.
Ukraine called on foreign states, international organizations and other subjects of international law likewise not to recognize the Russian “elections” and not to regard them as an expression of the legitimate political will of residents of the temporarily occupied territories.
The Foreign Ministry also warned against any participation in the vote organized by Russia, noting that such actions may have legal consequences in national and international jurisdictions.
The statement emphasizes that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the temporarily occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, are an integral part of Ukraine.
“Their liberation from Russian occupation is a necessary condition for restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial sea,” the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry also believes that the inclusion in the Russian parliament of representatives elected in illegal “elections” held in the occupied territories of Ukraine and other states further calls into question the legitimacy of the composition of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
The ministry called on the international community to regard the so-called “elections” to the Russian State Duma as an attempt to create the illusion of public support for the policies of the Russian authorities.
