KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th November, 2018) First Deputy Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Iryna Herashchenko on Tuesday called on EU countries and "Normandy Four" format participants to impose sanctions on Moscow for allegedly organizing the upcoming elections in Donbas.
The elections of the heads and members of the parliaments of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk are scheduled for November 11. The Ukrainian authorities have already stated that they would not recognize the election results. The United States, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and Germany also condemned the upcoming vote.
"We appeal to our partners in the European Union and 'Normandy Four' format, expressing concern is not enough. Holding pseudo-elections on the territory of Ukraine in contradiction with Ukrainian laws requires tough sanctions against Moscow, the country organizing all this," Herashchenko said.
Relations between Moscow and Kiev deteriorated in 2014 after Crimea's reunification with Russia and amid the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of interference in Ukraine's internal affairs and involvement in the conflict in Donbas as well as espionage and cyberattacks.
Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations, stressing that it is not party to the internal conflict in Ukraine and wanted Kiev to overcome political and economic crisis.
The conflict in Donbas started in 2014, when Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed republics that refused to recognize the new government in Kiev, which came to power after what they considered to be a coup.
In February 2015, the warring parties signed the Minsk peace accords to end the hostilities in the region, but the situation has remained tense, with both parties accusing each other of ceasefire violations.
Russia has stressed that the elections in Donbas do not contradict the Minsk accords and pointed to the fact that Ukraine has yet to fulfill its commitments under the peace deal.
