Foreign Ministry: Kyiv does not care about the opinions of residents of new regions of Russia

Kyiv’s calls to foreign countries not to recognize the September elections in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions demonstrate Ukraine’s indifference to the opinion of the inhabitants of these regions. About it stated Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

“Ukrainian deputies are asking foreign countries not to recognize their legitimacy on the territory of the DPR and LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. With such actions, Kyiv once again demonstrates that it does not care about the opinions of millions of residents of these Russian regions who do not want to have anything to do with the neo-Nazi Kiev regime,” she said.

In a commentary on the Ukrainian crisis, Zakharova also drew attention to Kyiv’s ongoing attacks on civilian targets in Russia, in particular, to Ukraine’s attempts to strike at Crimea. According to the diplomat, Kyiv “is haunted by the fact that the Crimeans decided back in 2014 to link their future with Russia.”

In addition, Zakharova mentioned the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, which speaks to the growing involvement of the West in the conflict over Ukraine, and the requirement for Kyiv to continue the “notorious counter-offensive.” All of the above, added the official representative of the Foreign Ministry, confirms the need for a special operation.

The Russian special operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. In the fall of 2022, following the results of referendums, the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became part of Russia. On October 19, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, martial law was introduced in the regions.

This year, the unified voting day in Russia will take place on September 10. Elections from 8 to 10 September will also be held in the new territories. At the end of May, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that allows elections to be held in regions where martial law has been introduced, subject to agreement with the FSB and the Ministry of Defense. In early August, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted an appeal to Western countries not to recognize the legitimacy of elections in new regions.