The Russian occupiers are holding elections in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as in Crimea. In this way, they want to elect the occupying local "authority".
The mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov says that the occupiers go to the homes of Ukrainians accompanied by machine guns and "highly recommend" not to refuse to vote, so that there are no problems.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that in this way, Russia once again violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Ukrainian legislation and norms of international law, in particular the UN Charter.
"Russiaʼs pseudo-elections in the temporarily occupied territories are worthless. 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. By organizing fake elections in Ukrainian regions and Crimea, the Kremlin continues the delegitimization of the Russian legal system," the agency noted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on international partners to condemn "the worthless and arbitrary actions of Russia and not to recognize the legitimacy of any administration that will be created as a result of illegal elections."