Ukraine objects to CIS plan to monitor Russia election in Crimea
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 18 August 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukraine objects to CIS plan to monitor Russia election in Crimea, 18 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57db9a1613.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 18, 2016
Ukraine has protested to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) over the organization's plans to send monitors to the Russian State Duma elections in the region of Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on August 18 published a statement saying the CIS "has been formally notified about the Ukrainian stance regarding the Russian intention to spread [the elections] into the temporarily occupied territory" of Crimea and the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
It noted that the elections "will not have any legal consequence" and added that any monitoring of the "farce election will be seen as an unfriendly move."
The CIS is an organization of some former Soviet republics. Nine of them – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – are full members, while Turkmenistan and Ukraine are associate states.
Georgia withdrew from the CIS after the war against Russia in 2008.
Based on reporting by Interfax and RIA Novosti
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
