The inauguration ceremony of Vladimir Putin as the President of the Russian Federation is a way to create an illusion of legitimacy for his almost lifelong stay in power, both for the world and for the Russian people, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
In the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that during the so-called March elections, the Russian Federation violated numerous international documents that serve as the foundation for the modern system of international relations.
The statement refers to:
- The Charter of the United Nations;
- The Declaration on Principles of International Law;
- The Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War;
- The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe;
- Dozens of resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.
"The illegal organization of another so-called electoral process in the sovereign territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation—parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol—accompanied by threats, blackmail, and coercion of millions of Ukrainian citizens who live in temporarily occupied territories or were forcibly relocated to the territory of the Russian Federation constituted a brutal violation of the generally recognized norms and principles of international law," the statement reads.
Despite warnings from authoritative international institutions against such actions, the Kremlin regime utilizes voter participation and election results to justify military aggression against Ukraine and aggressive policies towards other states.
"Based on the foregoing and the International Criminal Court's active arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, Ukraine sees no legal basis for recognizing him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation," stated the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Presidential elections in Russia
In March of this year, so-called presidential elections took place in Russia, resulting in the victory of Vladimir Putin. According to Russian laws, Putin will govern Russia until 2030.
Russians also simulated holding elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories. However, Ukraine stated at that time that such elections would have no legal basis.
For more details on how the elections unfolded in Russia and their implications for Ukraine, read the article by RBK-Ukraine.