Poroshenko: Kremlin attempts to cement occupation of Ukrainian lands through illegal elections
The world must not recognize any results of the Russian occupiers' State Duma elections held in the occupied territories of Ukraine, and should instead continue to strengthen Ukrainian defense and sanctions pressure on Russia, believes Member of Parliament of Ukraine and leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko.
Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko has condemned Russia's State Duma elections in the country's occupied regions, warning that the Kremlin is attempting to solidify its control over those territories through fraudulent polls. Poroshenko, a Ukrainian MP and leader of the European Solidarity party, urged the international community to disregard the results of these "pseudo-elections" and instead focus on bolstering Ukraine's defense and imposing sanctions on Russia.
He argued that the significance of the elections lies not in voter turnout or fabricated outcomes, but rather in the message they send about Russia's intentions. Moscow has been sending a clear message, Poroshenko explained, by continuing the forcible integration of Ukrainian land into Russia's political, legal, and administrative sphere.
According to Poroshenko, the Kremlin is not merely occupying Ukrainian territory with military force; it is actively working to make the annexation irreversible by creating the perception that the land rightfully belongs to Russia. He emphasized that the elections are not an internal matter for Russia, but rather yet another effort by the Kremlin to change reality through force and another manifestation of its aggressive behavior, cloaked in the guise of elections and expression of will.
Poroshenko stressed that the democratic world should not be concerned with the figures the Russian electoral machine claims to announce. Instead, the focus should be on the Kremlin's ongoing demonstration that it remains unready to relinquish its claims to Ukrainian territories. Elections to Russia's State Duma were held on September 18-20, and they were also illegally organized in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine.
Written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
