The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday slammed Russia for holding "sham elections" in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson this weekend, underscoring that such actions "grossly" violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
"They will not have any legal consequences and will not lead to a change in the status of the Ukrainian territories captured by the Russian army," the ministry said in the statement, adding that the Kremlin's decision to organize elections in the occupied territories "continues to delegitimize" the Russian legal system.
The ministry called on the world not to recognize the legitimacy of any "administration" that will be created as a result of the "illegal elections."
