All-Russian vote on introducing amendments to the Constitution of Russian Federation started on 25 June and will last until 01 July. Russia and its puppet occupation administrations are conducting voting among the residents of the occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea, once again violating the norms of the international legislation. Russia and its proxies have forcibly and illegally issued Russian passports to the citizens of Ukraine in these occupied territories, and are now forcing these citizens of Ukraine to vote.
The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) decidedly condemns the so-called “voting” in the Ukrainian occupied territories. It is a blatant violation of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. UWC calls on the international community not to leave the actions of the Kremlin aggressor unpunished. We urge global partners not to recognize the results of the so-called “voting”, strengthen the sanctions pressure on the aggressor state and introduce personal sanctions against the organizers of this ‘voting’ in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
“Proposed amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation threaten the security of the whole region. These amendments once again attempt to legitimize the annexation of Crimea and perpetuate the authoritarian Putin’s regime” – stated Paul Grod, UWC President. – In the traditions of the Soviet totalitarianism, the forced “popular vote” in the occupied territories is a show designed to please the ambitions of the modern-day dictator. We call on the international community to condemn and not recognize the so-called ‘voting’”.
