Ukraine and US condemn ‘sham elections’ in Crimea, Russia decries ‘meddling’
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Ukraine on Friday (Sept. 8) slammed Russia for conducting “sham elections” in Crimea, saying that it was a futile exercise and would have no legal standing.
Russia is holding elections in territories now controlled by it but that originally belong to Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Ukrainian foreign ministry said in a statement that the elections “grossly violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” as well as international law.
“Russia’s sham elections in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void. They will not have any legal consequences and will not lead to a change in the status of the Ukrainian territories captured by the Russian army,” the statement added.
Kyiv demands support from the international community
Along with denouncing elections in Crimea and occupied territories, Ukraine also urged the international community to take note of the developments and not to recognise the results.
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On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the “sham elections”, saying that they were “illegitimate”.
Responding to Blinken’s allegations, the Russian embassy in the US said that the US was meddling in Russia’s internal affairs.
Watch:Russia- Ukraine war: Sergei Surovikin 'seen in first photo' since Wagner mutiny
Blinken had earlier said that Russia’s actions went “against UN Charter principles like respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity, which underpin global security and stability.”
He also added that the US will never recognise Russia’s claims to any of Ukraine’s sovereign territory.
More about elections
Russia is conducting elections in areas of Ukraine it annexed last year. In the four regions, governors installed by the Kremlin are seeking full terms of office in the polls, which will conclude on September10.
Some residents showed up for the polls on Thursday, and flashed their Russian passports to officials deployed at the polling booths. Many people have fled the area fearing massive violence and brutality.
The exiled mayor of Mariupol, now controlled by Russia, was quoted as saying by Reuters that the elections were taking place with no voter lists and candidate lists.
"It is clear that there is no trust from the people toward this process, which should be called a sham election," he said in an interview inKyiv, adding that he expected a repeat of what he said had happened in annexation votes last year.
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