The holding of so-called "elections" to the Russian State Duma in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is a farce orchestrated by the occupying power; it has nothing in common with democratic elections and creates no legal grounds for extending Russian jurisdiction to any part of Ukraine's territory, according to a statement released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Friday.
"Since 2014, the only legitimate voting results concerning Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories were those displayed on the UN General Assembly's voting board—specifically, when 143 UN member states affirmed the illegality of the occupation and demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from all Ukrainian territories within internationally recognized borders," the statement reads.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that no "vote" organized by Russia at gunpoint alters the internationally recognized status of these territories. Temporary occupation confers no sovereign rights upon the occupying state.
"Ukraine recognizes neither the holding of these illegal 'elections' nor their null and void results. We call upon foreign states, international organizations, and other subjects of international law to likewise refuse to recognize these actions by Russia and to reject viewing them as an expression of the legitimate political will of the people in Ukraine's temporarily occupied territories. We warn against any participation in this illegal event, which will entail legal consequences within both national and international jurisdictions," the Foreign Ministry stated.
The ministry emphasized that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, 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 waters.
"Furthermore, the inclusion in the Russian parliament of representatives elected in illegal elections held in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and other states further undermines the legitimacy of the entire State Duma of the Russian Federation," the Foreign Ministry noted.
"Any 'elections' in modern-day Russia are nothing more than a farce. After more than a quarter-century of Putin's rule, the country lacks democracy, freedom of speech, political party pluralism, and any respect for fundamental civil liberties. We call upon the international community to call things by their proper names: the so-called 'elections' to the Russian State Duma are merely a spectacle designed to create the illusion of public support for the aggressive policies of the Moscow regime," the statement concludes.
