Pseudo-elections in occupied Crimea delegitimize Russia's political system - MFA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that the Russian "elections" to local authorities in occupied Crimea actually delegitimize the Russian political system.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that on Sunday, September 8, Russia is holding a single voting day, during which elections to local authorities of various levels of the Russian Federation will be held. Russia is once again trying to extend this process to the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol:

"The so-called "elections" in the Russian Federation have long since turned into a farce, have nothing to do with the manifestation of democracy, and their holding in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in violation of the norms and principles of international law actually delegitimizes the political system of Russia. We emphasize once again that the results of the so-called "elections" in 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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs also drew the attention of international partners to the fact that representatives of the Russian occupation forces operating in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular those who are "elected" during the so-called "elections," are not authorized by the Ukrainian side to represent the Ukrainian authorities at any level, and their involvement in Russian delegations to international events has no legal consequences.

In his turn, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov also considers these so-called elections illegal and illegitimate, the results of which are legally null and void. He pointed out that the Russian occupation authorities started "voting" on September 6.

"This will allow them to falsify both the number of people who allegedly came to the polling stations and the "results" of illegal voting," the politician believes.

Earlier, in the occupied Crimea, the Russians said that they would open 30 additional polling stations in the territory of pre-trial detention centers and medical institutions to hold their illegal elections. At the same time, activists of the "Yellow Ribbon" movement published photos and videos of Crimean residents burning campaign materials of Russian politicians:

"Crimeans have not been and will never be mute puppets in the hands of the Russian occupation administration. Yevpatoriya, Sevastopol, Simferopol, Bakhchisarai - each of these cities shows the Russians that they are not welcome here and that they are not perceived as a legitimate authority," the activists said in their post.