You're reading: ‘Referendums’ in eastern Ukraine have no legal consequences – Turchynov

Oleksandr Turchynov, acting president of Ukraine and speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, said the so-called referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk regions will not have any legal consequences and their organizers will be prosecuted.

“The farce that terrorists and separatists call a referendum is nothing more than a propaganda covering of murders, kidnappings, violence and other serious crimes,” Turchynov was quoted as saying on the website of the Ukrainian parliament

He also added: “This propaganda farce will not have any legal consequences except for the prosecution of its organizers.”

Turchynov described these processes as threatening the lives and welfare of Ukrainians and said these processes were initiated by Russia to “fully destabilize the situation in Ukraine, disrupt the presidential elections, and overthrow the Ukrainian administration.”

Turchynov promised that the Ukrainian administration will continue fighting “terrorists, saboteurs, and criminals.”

“At the same time, the administration will hold a dialogue with those in eastern Ukraine whose hands are not stained with blood and who are ready to defend their goals and convictions using legal methods,” Turchynov said.