U.S. condemns ‘elections’ in occupied Crimea – embassy

The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine reported this on its Facebook page.

“We condemn and do not recognize the so-called elections held in Crimea and Sevastopol on September 13. Once again, Russia violated Ukraine’s sovereignty on territory Russia seized by force and attempted to annex,” the statement reads.

U.S. diplomats stressed that sanctions against Russia will stay in place until it returns control of Crimea to Ukraine and withdraws from Donbas.

Regional elections were held in Russia on September 13. For the first time in history, they took place for three days under the pretext of countering the spread of coronavirus.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned the illegal organization and holding of the so-called "elections" by the Russian Federation on September 13, 2020, in the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

On September 14, Ukraine formally informed the UN Secretary-General and members of the UN Security Council about the unlawful organization and holding by the Russian Federation of the so-called “elections” to illegal bodies established by the Russian occupation administration in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

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