"No legal force": UN Security Council condemns Putin's pseudo-elections in occupied Ukraine

The UN Security Council has condemned Putin's pseudo-elections in Ukraine's TOT.

The UN Security Council said that holding elections in another UN member state without its consent violates "principles, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"Such actions have no legal force under international law," the Security Council said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed his opinion, Reuters reports.

According to UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres emphasized that the attempted illegal annexation of Ukraine's regions has no legal force under international law.

"The United Nations remains steadfastly committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, as per the relevant General Assembly resolutions," Dujarric said.

In addition, at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday, March 14, in Vienna, the UK Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Neill Holland, said that he condemned the "elections" of the Russian president in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and would never recognize their results, in particular because they contradict the UN Charter, Ukrinform reports.

"Russia's aggression began in 2014 when it illegally annexed Crimea. And we have been observing Russia's attempts to seize new territories since the beginning of its full-scale invasion two years ago. Now, in the regions of Ukraine that it claims to have annexed, Russia is holding its presidential elections against the will of the Ukrainian people. This is yet another blatant attempt by Russia to create the appearance of legitimacy for its illegal presence in Ukraine," he emphasized.

According to the British ambassador, this is also another violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are the fundamental principles of the Helsinki Final Act, "which Russia has torn to shreds."

"The UK joins ODIHR in strongly condemning Russia for holding its presidential election in Ukraine, which is contrary to international law including the UN Charter. To be perfectly clear, these so-called ‘elections’ on the sovereign territory of Ukraine are illegal," Holland said.

• Ukraine has called on the international community not to send observers to the temporarily occupied territories, and on the media not to call the fake expression of will an election. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes that holding "elections" of the President of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is illegal and will not have any legal consequences.
• On December 8, 2023, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced his intention to run for the presidency of Russia in 2024. The "elections" are multi-day and take place, among other places, in the TOT of Ukraine.
• From March 11 to 15, early voting for the Russian president took place in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk region, intended for residents of communities remote from the so-called polling stations.
• On March 15, President of the European Council Charles Michel "congratulated" Russian President Vladimir Putin in advance on his victory in this year's so-called elections.