"On December 8, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation announced the holding of the next presidential election on March 15-17, 2024.
The Russian authorities announced their intention to organize voting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine: the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine.
Holding Russian elections on Ukrainian territories grossly violates the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine, the norms and principles of international law, in particular the UN Charter. Such an electoral process, like other similar propaganda activities in the past, will be null and void.
Inclusion of the votes cast in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will question the legitimacy of the overall result of the election of the president of the Russian Federation.
We call on the international community to resolutely condemn Russia's intention to hold presidential elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories, and to impose sanctions on those involved in their organization and conduct.
We also call on foreign countries not to send their citizens as observers to these pseudo-elections. Those who partake will face criminal responsibility in line with the Ukrainian legislation.
Any election in Russia has nothing to do with democracy. They serve only as a tool to keep the Russian regime in power."
Vladimir Putin announced that he will run for the position of President of Russia in 2024.
In early August, Dmitry Peskov stated in an interview that Putin would be re-elected with a result of over 90% of the votes. Later, he mentioned that the journalist had "misinterpreted his words," suggesting that he meant the unprecedented level of societal consolidation around the president, and if he decides to run, he will be re-elected with a "huge advantage."
Recently, the Kremlin expressed confidence that no one would be able to compete with Putin.
