The government of Ukraine strongly denounced Russia’s intention to conduct presidential elections in the occupied Ukrainian territory during the spring.

The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine denounced the upcoming elections as illegitimate and warned that any foreign observers sent to oversee them would be subject to legal consequences.

On Thursday, legislators in Russia designated March 17 as the date for the country’s 2024 presidential election.

The Russian election has been announced by President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to secure another six-year term and maintain his authoritarian control over the country.

The Russian government intends to organize voting in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, regions that were annexed from Ukraine by Moscow last year without proper control. This will also include the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

In September, local elections were held in occupied areas of Ukraine for Russian-installed legislatures. These elections were deemed fraudulent by Kyiv and Western nations. The presidential election was subsequently announced.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry urges the international community to strongly denounce Russia’s plan to hold presidential elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories. They also call for sanctions to be imposed on those responsible for organizing and carrying out these elections.