According to Russian electoral law, illegitimate presidential elections in Russia, the occupied territories of Ukraine, and the annexed Crimea were held over three days, on March 15-17, 2024.

Russia's annexation of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk oblasts, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the holding of illegal presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, is an unacceptable violation of international law and barbaric interference with the sovereignty of our country. Recognizing the dictator as the "winner" is a legalization of Russia's aggressive policy towards Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Bar Association once again emphasizes that territorial integrity, sovereign equality of states, the right to self-determination of peoples, and respect for and protection of human rights are fundamental principles of international law that prohibit and condemn aggression. Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity are recognized by all countries of the world and guaranteed by a number of international treaties.

The international community recognizes the truth about the war. Therefore, it is evident to the whole world that the illegitimate presidential elections in Russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are another gross violation of international law and an escalation of aggression against Ukraine. Any "elections" held under the military control of Russia under occupation cannot be considered the right to self-determination and are legally null and void, unfree and unfair.

World governments and leaders of democratic countries have condemned the illegitimate presidential elections in Russia. We are grateful to them for their support of Ukraine and call on the world to continue to respond to Russia's criminal actions in Ukraine. 

The terrorist state aims not only to seize and destroy Ukraine's territories and resources, including human resources but also to undermine with its aggression all the principles of international law that should protect the world from wars. This should strengthen the unity and cohesion of global partners and the unwavering determination of the civilized world to provide the necessary support to Ukraine and stop Russia's illegal aggression.

Given the above, the Association appeals to the international community to take prompt, decisive, practical, and effective actions to bring the war to a definitive end. In particular, we ask 

• the governments of the world — to significantly expand the list of individuals and legal entities subject to sanctions and to impose a full oil and gas embargo, as well as an embargo on Russian agricultural products.
• the governments of the United States and European countries — to urgently increase and ensure the supply of weapons requested by the authorized authorities.
• the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court — to accelerate the investigation of Russia's crimes and to apply to the judges of the International Criminal Court for arrest warrants for all members of Russia's senior political and military leadership involved in the aggression against Ukraine and the genocide of the Ukrainian population. 
• the UN General Assembly — to coordinate the governments of UN member states to establish the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
• to start the procedure of expulsion/suspension of Russia from the UN Security Council and to limit the use of the veto power concerning events in Ukraine as a party to an international armed conflict. The veto should not serve as a weapon for those who are obsessed with hatred and war.
• countries with universal jurisdiction — to continue to initiate and conduct investigations and trials of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia in Ukraine. 
• international and foreign legal associations — to publicly condemn the war and annexation and call on governments to take decisive action. 

We cannot wait for this aggression to end, we must act now!

The full text of the statement is available here.