Russian elections in occupied Crimea, Sevastopol violate int'l law - MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has emphasized that Russia's holding of elections in the occupied Crimea and Sevastopol is a violation of the norms and principles of international law.
According to Ukrinform, this is stated in a statement by the Foreign Ministry.
“The so-called 'elections' in the Russian Federation have long turned into a farce, have nothing to do with the manifestation of people's power, and their holding in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in violation of the norms and principles of international law actually delegitimizes Russia's political system. We emphasize that results of the so-called 'elections' on the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are null and void, and the 'elections' themselves are illegitimate,” the statement reads.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that all those involved in the preparation and holding of the so-called elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will be brought to justice in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine.
“We also draw attention of our international partners to the fact that the representatives of the Russian occupation forces operating in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including those who are 'elected' during the so-called 'elections', are not entitled by the Ukrainian side to represent Ukraine’s authorities at any level, and their participation in the Russian Federation’s delegations at international events cannot not produce any legal effect,” the document says.
As Ukrinform previously reported, activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement called on residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea not to vote in the pseudo-elections to be held on September 6-8.