The European Union strongly denounced the elections in Russian-occupied Ukraine on Monday, cautioning the Kremlin-backed officials and organizers that they will face consequences.
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, the ruling United Russia party, which is pro-Kremlin, obtained substantial majorities in the parliamentary elections in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as in annexed Crimea.
“The European Union does not and will not acknowledge the holding of these so-called ‘elections’ or their outcomes,” stated the EU delegation to Ukraine in a declaration.
“Russia’s political leadership and those involved in organizing them will face the consequences of these unlawful actions.”
The Ukrainian security services have compiled a list of “collaborators” who aided in organizing the voting and have promised retaliation.
Brussels did not specify the type of punishment it intends to impose on officials responsible for conducting the elections in the occupied territories.
The elections in the four partially occupied regions of Ukraine are viewed as the Kremlin’s most recent attempt to strengthen its control there, nearly 19 months following its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The elections in occupied Ukraine were conducted simultaneously with regional and local elections throughout Russia over the weekend, which occurred ahead of next year’s presidential election, where President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to seek a fifth term in office.
Nevertheless, the Russian leader’s main opponents have been forced into exile or imprisoned, while Moscow has made any dissent regarding its invasion of Ukraine a criminal offense.
AFP contributed to the reporting.
