DISINFO: New Russian regions Zaporizhzhia and Kherson elect deputies for the first time
SUMMARY
A historic day for the Kherson region. The voting process has begun. Voting takes place throughout the territory of our vast Motherland - Russia. Kherson residents who are in other constituent entities of the Russian Federation have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote for the legislative body of the Kherson region. And they are actively doing it.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on the invasion of Ukraine and sham referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories. All attempts by Russia to legalise its "control" over any part of the territory of Ukraine is a violation of its state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
These so-called "elections" grossly violate international law including the UN Charter. Fake "elections" in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories are legally null. The Russian pseudo-referendums of 2022 in the occupied Ukrainian territories – as well as the “referendum” at gunpoint in Crimea in 2014 – have no legal consequences. Representatives of the European Union and the United States have constantly emphasised that democratic countries will never recognise any Russian "elections" in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Regarding this latest attempt, the European Union does not and will not recognise either the holding of these “elections” or their results. See the statement by EU Lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano which states:
"This week, the Central Election Commission of Russia decided to hold “elections” in September in the territories of Ukraine that Russia temporarily militarily occupies, in yet another violation of international law.
This is a further futile attempt by Russia to pretend to legitimise its illegal military control and attempted annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.
It seriously violates the UN Charter and Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Russia has no legitimate basis for any such action on the territory of Ukraine".
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described them as “nothing more than a propaganda exercise.”
The Security Service of Ukraine has discovered more than 3,500 individuals and their Russian curators involved in organising illegal "voting" in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. Also, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Russia Ella Pamfilova, her deputy Nikolai Bulaev and the Secretary of the CEC Natalya Budarina were charged with encroachments on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine.
The results of the previous sham polls in 2022 were universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE and NATO.
See similar cases Crimean referendum of nine years ago represents the highest form of democracy and Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join Russia following Maidan.