Ukraine calls on international community not to send observers to Putin's ‘elections’ in occupied territories

This was reported by the press service of the Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes that the holding of the "elections" of the President of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine - is illegal and will not have any legal consequences. Forcing millions of Ukrainian citizens who live in the temporarily occupied territories or were forcibly moved to the territory of the Russian Federation to participate in the so-called elections is also illegal," the statement says.

The ministry urged residents of the temporarily occupied territories not to vote.

"Ukraine calls on foreign states and international organizations not to send international observers to participate in another farce that the Kremlin is passing off as a presidential election, organized by it, in particular, on the sovereign territory of Ukraine, to refrain from recognizing its results, and warns that all violators of Ukrainian legislation will be brought to legal responsibility," the Foreign Ministry said.

The journalists were also urged not to call the fake vote an election.

Kuleba reminded that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his crimes in Ukraine. Despite this, he has been in power in Russia for 24 years.

"The Russian dictatorship has long had nothing to do with democracy," the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

• 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 temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
• From March 11 to 15, early voting for the Russian president continued in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk region, intended for residents of communities remote from the so-called polling stations.