EU does not recognize Russian "elections" in Crimea

The European Union (EU) said Saturday that it does not recognize the regional and local "elections" that Russian authorities will hold on Sunday on the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

"On September 14, Russian authorities held regional and local elections, including in the illegally annexed Crimea, specifically in the city of Sevastopol. The EU does not recognize either the so-called 'elections' or their results in the occupied territory," a spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS) said in a statement.

The elections, the statement continues, “constitute a further violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter, as well as of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

The head of Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC), Ella Pamfilova, assured last Thursday that the country would hold local and regional elections despite "war conditions."

Elections began on Friday and will continue until Sunday in 81 regions of the Russian Federation.

For its part, the EU reiterated that "Crimea is Ukraine" and called on Russia to cease "its efforts to undermine the national unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"The European Union expresses its unwavering support for Ukraine in its efforts to resist Russia's war of aggression and remains firm in its support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine," the statement concluded.