The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the pseudo-voting organized by the Russian Federation with the aim of annexing the occupied territories and called on its partners to increase pressure on Russia in response, as well as military aid to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a corresponding statement on September 28.

The Ukraine's MFA emphasizes that the so-called "referendums" on September 23-27 in the occupied territories were a propaganda show, forcing people in these territories to "vote" "at the barrel of a gun is yet another Russian crime in the course of its aggression against Ukraine."

"This performance has nothing to do with expression of will and does not have any implications for Ukraine’s administrative-territorial system and internationally recognized borders. Ukraine and the international community condemn such actions of Russia and consider them null and worthless," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasizes.

Co-organizers of the sham referendums are promised punishment in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

"The Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, like the Ukrainian Crimea, remain the sovereign territories of Ukraine. Ukraine has every right to restore its territorial integrity by military and diplomatic means, and will continue to liberate the temporarily occupied territories. Ukraine will never agree to any Russian ultimatums. Moscow's attempts to create new separation lines or weaken international support for Ukraine are doomed to fail," the statement reads.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that by deciding to hold the sham referendums, Russia wilfully demonstrates that all of its signals of alleged readiness for negotiations are only meant to provide a cover-up to its armed aggression and helpless attempts to hold on to the temporarily occupied territories.

"Russia consistently shows its contempt for all those who have been calling for diplomacy. We expect relevant countries to draw conclusions regarding Russia's true intentions and increase their support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression instead of abstaining from actions under the guise of their wish to play a role of peacekeepers that Russia does not need," states the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and calls on all states and international organizations "to immediately condemn the illegal actions of the Kremlin in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and to increase the isolation of Russia."

Ukraine calls on the EU, NATO, and the Group of Seven to immediately and significantly increase pressure on Russia, including by imposing new tough sanctions, and significantly increase their military aid to Ukraine, including by providing us with tanks, combat aircraft, armored vehicles, long-range artillery, anti-aircraft and missile defense equipment.

We call on our partners to make it clear to Russia that the only response to its attempts of annexation, blackmail, and ultimatums will be the increase of support for Ukraine so that it prevails over the aggressor," the statement concludes.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that if Russia tries to annex the territories based on the so-called "referendums," this means closing any negotiations with Moscow.