Kremlin: Russia to send election observers to Ukraine on voting day
Russia intends to send observers to monitor Ukraine’s upcoming presidential elections directly on voting day – 31 March – as part of the OSCE’s international observation mission, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
The department claims to have received a circular request on 12 February from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to send short-term observers to the Ukrainian presidential elections.
“Russia intends to use its right to participate in the international observation of the elections in another OSCE member-state, in this case in Ukraine,” the report states.
Russian candidates for the mission’s short-term component will be sent to the ODIHR in accordance with the received invitation. Short-term observers only monitor on voting day itself.
Last week, Ukraine’s parliament passed bill No. 9524, which prohibits Russian citizens from being observers at the elections.