U.S. and UN Expresses Concern Over Russia Holding Elections in Occupied Ukrainian Regions
Millions of Russians go to the polls for regional elections that wrap up on Sept. 10, but there is little doubt that President Vladimir Putin’s party, United Russia, will win the vast majority of contests.
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00:00 On August 31, Russia began holding sham elections in the areas of Ukraine it occupies,
00:06 coinciding with annual regional elections being held throughout Russia.
00:11 The Kremlin hopes these sham elections will demonstrate its control over these occupied territories,
00:17 but they are nothing more than a propaganda stunt.
00:20 The Kremlin uses the sham referenda and elections to try to lend a semblance of legitimacy
00:26 to its attempts to unlawfully annex the sovereign territory of its neighbors.
00:31 The Kremlin is rushing to fabricate electoral successes
00:34 to hide its military losses in Ukraine from the Russian people.
00:38 The Kremlin knows full well its elections in Ukraine are a complete fraud,
00:43 but some within the Russian government are concerned about the perceived legitimacy
00:47 and voter turnout for the elections in the occupied areas.
00:50 The outcome will, of course, be predetermined and manipulated.
00:55 In fact, from media reports, we understand that Russian authorities
00:59 already have established field polling stations,
01:03 where Russia's armed forces began conducting early voting as of August 31 in frontline areas
01:08 and elsewhere to manipulate and maximize the vote count.
01:12 Essentially, Russia's armed soldiers are providing so-called "security" to voters,
01:18 an intimidating combination of bullets and ballots.
01:22 We urge all UN Member States to refrain from actions that serve to lend credibility
01:27 to Russia's sham elections on Ukraine's sovereign territory.
01:31 We must all call out Russia's egregious violations of international law for what they are
01:36 a stain on our collective history, as a body founded on maintaining world peace
01:41 and an assault on our rules-based international order.
01:45 We are now approaching the one-year anniversary of the illegal attempt by the Russian Federation
01:51 to annex the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine
01:58 through the organization of illegal so-called "referendums" in these regions in late September 2022.
02:06 I wish to reiterate that the United Nations remains fully committed to the sovereignty,
02:12 independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine
02:18 within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.
02:24 We are concerned over reports of the Russian Federation holding so-called "elections"
02:30 in areas of Ukraine currently under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation.
02:37 These so-called "elections" in the occupied areas of Ukraine have no legal grounds.
02:43 We also recall that as the occupying power, the Russian Federation is obligated
02:49 under international humanitarian law to respect, unless absolutely prevented,
02:55 the laws of Ukraine in force in the areas that it occupies.
03:00 These latest illegal attempts to organize new so-called electoral processes
03:06 in the occupied areas of Ukraine further undermine the prospects for peace.
03:12 As the Secretary General has repeatedly stated, now more than ever,
03:17 we need just and lasting peace in Ukraine, in line with the UN Charter,
03:23 international law and resolutions of the General Assembly.
03:27 The United Nations remains ready to support all meaningful efforts to this end.
03:32 end.