NUR-SULTAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2019) SULTAN, April 10 (Sputnik) - Kiev closed polling places in Russia during the Ukrainian presidential race for fear of receiving a negative response to its actions from Ukrainians residing abroad, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told Sputnik Wednesday.
"Kiev is very scared of its fellow citizens and of their negative assessment of its own actions over the past five years. Otherwise, why would the current authorities close the polling places in Ukraine's missions in Russia and decide against organizing the vote in Donbas?" the diplomat said in an interview.
About 7-10 million Ukrainians living in Russia and the Donbas self-proclaimed republics were denied their right to vote in the Ukrainian presidential election on March 31.
