Ukraine denounces forthcoming elections in self-proclaimed eastern republics

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced the upcoming parliamentary elections in the self- proclaimed "people's republics" in eastern regions, calling them " illegitimate."

"Any independent voting organized by the so-called 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Lugansk People's Republic' on the territory of Ukraine will undermine the peace process in Donbass," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Eugene Perebiynis, who stressed the vote will be inconsistent with a cease-fire agreement reached on Sept. 5 in Belarusian capital Minsk and will not be recognized by the international community.

He considered the statements made earlier by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on legitimacy of the polls as "destructive and provocative."

Lavrov on Monday told the Russian "Izvestia" daily newspaper that Moscow will recognize the results of the polls in Ukraine's self-proclaimed "people's republics" scheduled for Sunday.

The leaders of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Lugansk People's Republic" planned to hold elections to their Supreme Councils on Nov. 2. The polls will also choose heads of the two self-proclaimed republics. Enditem