The European Union has said they “reject” Russia’s futile attempt to normalise their military control of holding elections in Crimea, Sevastopol and in parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in Ukraine.
The EU has said in the strongest terms that this is a gross “violation of international law” and the “UN Charter” for Ukraine’s independence of their territorial integration.
A statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU, published on the website of the EU Delegation to Ukraine on Monday reads, “We strongly reject this further futile attempt by Russia to legitimise or normalize its illegal military control and attempted annexation of parts of Ukrainian territories, as condemned in the UNGA Resolution adopted on 12 October 2022.
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“It represents yet another manifest violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The European Union does not and will not recognise either the holding of these so-called ‘elections’ or their results.
“Russia‘s political leadership and those involved in organising them will face consequences of these illegal actions.”
The representative’s office said that the “illegal” elections saw Ukrainians being dragged out of their houses and forced to vote.
Russia has also forced Ukrainians to hold Russian passports, forced deportations and widespread abuses of human rights and increased repression of Ukrainian citizens.
The statement added, “Furthermore, the elections in Russia took place in a highly restricted environment fuelled by the aggression against Ukraine.
“Russian authorities have amplified internal repression by introducing war censorship and further cracking down on opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices with the use of repressive legislation and politically motivated sentences.
“This has resulted in restrictions of civil and political rights, precluding many candidates from running and limiting Russian voters’ choice and access to accurate information about candidates.”
