Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin explained that the decision of the Central Election Commission on the closure of polling stations in Russia was made for security reasons, Hromadske reports.
“The main motive behind the closure of polling stations in Russia is, of course, security. First of all, we are concerned about the security of Ukrainian citizens who are determined to become members of election commissions or just to come to election. We can’t guarantee that there will be no dangerous provocations on election day. Ukrainian voters and our employees, and ultimately the buildings of diplomats, can suffer,” the minister wrote.
He also expressed fears that voters might have trouble with the Russian FSB and “risk becoming victims of repressions.”
Recall that the Central Election Commission of Ukraine closed all five polling stations in Russia – in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don and Novosibirsk.
On December 31, 2018, an electoral campaign for the presidential elections in 2019 began in Ukraine.
