The European Union has announced its non-recognition of Russia's sham "elections" in the occupied territories of Ukraine and stressed that the Russian leadership will be held accountable for the effects of these illegal actions.

The European Union firmly condemned the holding of these illegitimate sham "elections" in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine.

"We strongly reject this further futile attempt by Russia to legitimise or normalize its illegal military control and attempted annexation of parts of Ukrainian territories, as condemned in the UNGA Resolution adopted on 12 October 2022. It represents yet another manifest violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The European Union does not and will not recognise either the holding of these so-called "elections" or their results. Russia’s political leadership and those involved in organising them will face consequences of these illegal actions," the statement by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy reads.

Borrell emphasises that these illegal sham "elections" in Ukraine took place amidst the forced and illegal issuance of passports by Russia, including to children, forced displacement and deportation, widespread and systematic human rights violations and abuses, as well as intimidation and intensified repression of Ukrainian citizens by Russia and its illegally appointed authorities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

"The European Union commends the courage of the Ukrainian residents who opposed the sham voting and continue to resist the Russian occupation. The European Union remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine and its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said, also urging Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from all of Ukraine's territory within its internationally recognised borders.

The EU also voiced its concerns over the regional elections in Russia, as they occurred under severe restrictions fuelled by the aggression against Ukraine.

"Russian authorities have amplified internal repression by introducing war censorship and further cracking down on opposition politicians, civil society organisations, independent media and other critical voices with the use of repressive legislation and politically motivated sentences. This has resulted in restrictions of civil and political rights, precluding many candidates from running and limiting Russian voters’ choice and access to accurate information about candidates," the statement reads.

The Council of Europe has previously stated that the sham "elections" recently held by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine are invalid under international law.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would never recognise the results of these "sham elections".

UK Defence Intelligence states that Putin's United Russia party faction seeks to consolidate Kremlin influence in the occupied territories of Ukraine by holding sham elections there.