Kuleba: Ukraine to record violations in elections to Russia's State Duma in temporarily occupied territories

KYIV. Sept 16 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine will record violations due to the holding of elections to the State Duma by Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and in Crimea, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

"But I will emphasize once again that in line with international law, the only status that Russia has in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is the occupying state, and what it does by organizing its national elections there is violation of international law. In this regard, we will respond according to the already worked out scheme – we will record these violations, we will contact our partners," Kuleba said at an online briefing on Thursday.

The minister said it would have to pay for all recorded cases of offenses by the Russia. "I understand that we will not cancel this election, and the Russians will now do what they think is necessary, because they control this territory, but, you know, everything comes to an end. I am convinced that the Russian occupation will also come to an end, and when If this happens, then all those recorded cases of offenses by Russia will have to be paid for. And we will now record another example of such a violation," he said.

According to Kuleba, it is no coincidence that a little more than a week ago, Russia refused to continue the mandate of two OSCE missions that worked at entry-exit checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border, which Ukraine temporarily does not control. "The absence of these missions contributes precisely to Russia’s efforts to arrange these ‘electoral carousels,’ to give a ride to voters to create the effect of the expression of the will of the people," the head of the foreign ministry said.