LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) – Ukraine said on Sunday that Russia’s hosting of a referendum in the occupied Ukrainian territory of Luansk would have no legal basis and would require a strong response from the international community.
Three days before ordering the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the rebellious Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states, while the rest of the world considers them part of from Ukraine.
“I think that in the near future, a referendum will take place on the territory of the republic”, declared Leonid Pasechnik, the leader of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Luhansk, quoted by a local media. “The people will exercise their ultimate constitutional right and express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation.”
Spokesman for Ukrainian Foreign Minister Oleg Nikolenko rejected the idea.
“All bogus referendums in the temporarily occupied territories are null and void and will have no legal validity,” he told Reuters. “Instead, Russia will face an even stronger response from the international community, further accentuating its global isolation.”
(Report Pavel Polityuk; French version Elizabeth Pineau)