Holding “pseudo-referendums” in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine “would mean that President Putin would continue his imperialist policy, which brought a war to Europe that had never been seen after 1945 on this scale”, said President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Leendert Verbeek on Thursday, 1 September, urging “the Russian authorities to refrain from such plans”.
International NGOs have warned that these “so-called referendums” could be held during the run-up to the 11 September regional elections, notably in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as well as in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
“Russia is no longer a member of the Council of Europe. But Ukraine is—and we stand united behind this country and its people, and we will do whatever it takes to continue supporting Ukraine and helping its local and regional authorities,” explained Mr Verbeek.
Harking back to the Council of Europe’s “recommendation on holding referendums at the local level” (which specifies the terms and conditions for organising such consultations), he warns, “If Russia uses the referendum [...] to further intensify its aggressive policy vis-à-vis the Council of Europe Member State Ukraine, [...] the results will be null and void for us.” (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)