Holding elections to Russia’s State Duma in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as Russia has done in Crimea and in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions, constitutes a blatant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, as well as the UN Charter.
This is stated in a joint statement by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
“These sham elections are part of a wider system of occupation: the imposition of Russian administration, law, media, education, language and citizenship, backed by coercion and repression. This includes reports of the enforced disappearance, detention, and torture of thousands of Ukrainian citizens,” the statement published by the Canadian government reads.
The signatories stressed that the occupied regions are part of Ukraine and that holding sham elections cannot change the status of these territories under international law. They also reaffirmed their continued support for Ukraine.
“We call on the international community to reject Russia’s attempts to normalise its occupation, condemn the holding of sham elections on Ukrainian territory, call for those involved in the organisation of the election to be held to account, support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and demand that Russia immediately end its war of aggression against Ukraine and agree to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Borders must never be redrawn by force,” the statement said.
