Kharkiv Mayor Hennadiy Kernes has ordered the city council to seek a court ban on a referendum on Ukraine's federative structure and official language.
“I have instructed the Kharkiv City Council to ask the administrative
court to ban the referendum. It is illegal,” Kernes told reporters
before a court session at the Pechersky District Court in Kyiv.
No one has the right to violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine, he said.
“Under no emotions do we have the right to violate the integrity of
our state. Kharkiv continues to be a part of Ukraine. These people who are
trying to destabilize this situation should realize that the majority
of Kharkiv people – I can say that for sure – favor Ukraine’s
integrity,” Kernes said.
The intention to hold the referendum on the issue of federalization
was announced at a pro-Russian rally in Freedom Square in Kharkiv on
March 8. This prompted a number of public organizations to send a
memorandum to the Kharkiv Regional Council, demanding an extraordinary
session which should call a regional referendum on the issues of the
federative structure and official language.
On March 12, however, the Kharkiv Regional Council stated it will not
make any illegal decisions to hold a referendum on the issues of
Ukraine’s federative structure and official language.
