The Verkhovna Rada has adopted a bill that prohibits Russian observers from participating in Ukrainian elections. 232 deputies voted for the relevant bill number 9524.
“It is proposed to establish that official observers in the Ukrainian elections cannot be individuals who are citizens of the State, recognized by the Verkhovna Rada as aggressor state or the invading state,” was said during a speech by one of the co-authors of the bill, People’s Deputy Iryna Lutsenko. She added that the prohibition also applies to those observers whose proposals have been made by the aggressor state.
The changes concern both presidential and parliamentary elections. “According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the Russian Federation is preparing an unprecedented interference in Ukraine’s elections, with a forecast of 350 million USD, which aims at stopping European integration of Ukraine at any cost,” Lutsenko said.
