The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has demanded this Monday from the international community to categorically reject the participation of the territories occupied by Russia during the invasion in the parliamentary elections held this weekend, in which the United Russia party, linked to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has achieved a crushing victory.
"This farce has nothing to do with democratic elections or with the expression of the popular will. The holding of 'elections' in temporarily occupied territories is illegal and its results are null," Foreign Affairs stated in a note, emphasizing that this situation not only violates International Law but also deprives the Russian Parliament of legitimacy.
Kiev has warned that Moscow will try to use the results of these elections to "legitimize new aggressions and continue the war and terror," after United Russia has achieved, according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), between 80 and 90% of the support in these areas controlled by the Russian Army.
"No voting held under the gaze of the invaders alters the internationally recognized status of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the temporarily occupied areas of the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporiyia, and Kherson, were, are, and will continue to be an integral part of Ukraine," Foreign Affairs reaffirmed.
In coherence with this stance, Ukraine has asked its partners and other countries not to validate these elections, to condemn their organization, and to reinforce political and economic pressure measures against Russia.
A part of the international community has already shown its rejection of the electoral day held in the occupied territories. The EU, in addition to questioning the legitimacy of the results, has emphasized that the holding of votes in areas under occupation constitutes "another flagrant violation" by Russia of International Law.
"The European Union urges Russia to respect the borders and sovereignty of Ukraine, recognized internationally. The European Union reiterates that it does not recognize and will never recognize the holding of these so-called 'elections' in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine nor their results," it expressed.
In the same line, other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway have also spoken out, reiterating their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.