MOSCOW - Polling stations for Russians who will vote in the September 18 State Duma elections have been organized in Ukraine in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and Kharkiv, but the issue of safety remains unresolved, Russian Central Elections Commission official Vasily Likhachyov said.
“The lists are ready, technical documentation is prepared in the form of absentee voting certificates, labels and ballots. Four polling stations have been created: the main one in the Russian embassy in Kyiv and three in the general consulates in Kharkiv, Odesa and Lviv,” Likhachyov told reporters on August 29.
The Russian Foreign Ministry “is specially developing a position on the voting in Ukraine and it will be coordinated with the relevant parties, the Central Elections Commission, the Federal Security Service and the border guard service in the nearest future,” he said.
The security factor plays the main role in this issue, he said.
Likhachyov said they had had a phone conversation four days prior to the dismissal of Mikhail Zurabov from the post of Russian ambassador to Ukraine.
“He told me he had just come from the meeting with Poroshenko and voting was among the issues discussed, Poroshenko had given safety guarantees. At the same time, all information coming from Ukraine now shows that these obligations of Poroshenko have been virtually sabotaged, they have been called into question,” the Central Elections Commission official said.
Over 81,000 Russians who have the right to vote in the September 18 elections are now registered with consular establishments in Ukraine, Likhachyov said.
Likhachyov security will need to be tightened at the polling stations in Ukraine.
Likhachyov also said he has made two requests to the OSCE ODIHR to send their representatives to those four polling stations on the voting day.
“Flat refusal, and they are citing security issues, that the situation does not allow the sending of people. They are afraid,” Likhachyov said.
