Referenda in Russia-held Ukraine ‘can’t be regarded as legal’

A woman stands in an abandoned school, damaged after a shell strike, in Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (file) - UNICEF - Ashley Gilbertson

27 September 2022 - Recent so-called referenda conducted in four Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine cannot be considered legal under international law, the UN’s political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also briefed ambassadors, blasting the “sham referenda”, though Russia objected to his participation via videoconference. 

The country's ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said the President should participate in person, in line with the rules.  "The Council should not turn into a forum for political shows or cinema,” he added.

Door-to-door voting 

The referenda were held over the past five days in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions for residents to vote on whether they wished to become part of the Russian Federation. 

Voting took place in polling centers, Ms. DiCarlo reported, and de facto pro-Russian authorities accompanied by soldiers, also went door-to-door with ballot boxes.  

These exercises - which were held during active armed conflict, in areas of Ukraine under Russian control and outside Ukraine’s legal and constitutional framework - “cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will,” she said. 

“Unilateral actions aimed to provide a veneer of legitimacy to the attempted acquisition by force by one State of another State’s territory, while claiming to represent the will of the people, cannot be regarded as legal under international law.” 

Upholding Ukrainian sovereignty 

The political affairs chief underscored the UN’s full commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. She reminded Russia of its obligation to respect the country’s laws in the administration of occupied territories. 

This latest development is among recent actions that threaten to further escalate the conflict, now in its seventh month.  

Ms. DiCarlo spoke about heavy fighting in southern Ukraine in the past few weeks and escalating military operations in Donetsk and Luhansk.   

The Ukrainian military also conducted a successful counter-offensive this month to restore control over most of the Russian-held areas in the Kharkhiv region. 

Meanwhile, daily attacks on many Ukrainian cities have continued, including in Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as targeting of civilian energy and water infrastructure.  

Nuclear threat persists 

“We have also heard alarming rhetoric regarding the use of nuclear weapons. This is unacceptable,” said Ms. DiCarlo. 

The UN remains deeply troubled by reports of continuing attacks near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and she urged combatants to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

“It is imperative that all attacks on nuclear facilities end, and that the purely civilian nature of such plants be re-established,” she stressed.   - UN News