The illegitimate authorities of the so-called “people’s republics” in Donbas are a threat to peace efforts and must be disbanded before any elections are held in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Political Counselor Gregory Macris of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE has said.
He said this at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on Thursday, November 14, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“November 11 marked a year since the sham elections carried out by the so-called ‘People’s Republics’ in eastern Ukraine. Russian propaganda aimed at convincing this body of the legitimacy of its ‘referenda’ in the Donbas and Crimea has been unsuccessful. The illegitimate authorities established by these sham ‘elections’ are a threat to peace efforts in eastern Ukraine. Before any legitimate elections can be held in the Donbas, these illegitimate, corrupt bodies must be dismantled,” Macris said.
Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, in turn, said at the meeting that “DPR/LPR” leaders appointed by Russia during sham “elections” could not be involved in organizing and holding local elections in the occupied areas of Donbas, which will take place under Ukrainian law.
According to him, these persons do not represent local communities in the occupied parts of Donbas “and remain who they are – members of the Russian occupation administrations in Donetsk and Luhansk.”
(c) Ukrinform
As it states in the Minsk agreement, elections take place under Ukrainian law, not Russian law.
Russian law? There is no such thing. Russian lawlessness would be the precise description.
How many times do these nazis try to occupy Ukraine? I hope when the Warthogs are finally sent in, they begin at the eastern border and work their way west until all those rabid dogs are chased into the minefields.
I’d rather they started at the Eastern Border and worked Eastwards if its all the same to you Redders.
The whole question is a minefield, democratically, elections need to be held with the DPR & LPR being represented, however as there have been crimes committed, representatives, leaders and followers of these ‘organisations’ should be tried.
When the residents of those areas know they can talk and vote freely is the only time democracy will prevail.
As was said to me recently though, reprisals will happen. The whole thing is pretty well fucked up.
I don’t think this LPR and DPR should have anything to do with any election, they represent Russia, not Donbas. Zelensky said these terrorist groups have to be disbanded before any elections take place. Not sure how he is going to manage that, only Putin will disband them, and then only if he gets some advantage out of it.
The main idea was to ensure that those that planted the landmines are the ones to eliminate them. Both the Nazis and the soviets sent Ukrainians through their minefields to clear them. I could sit back with beer and popcorn to see that. I guess I’m getting sicker 5 years on……..