DISINFO: Ukraine is a colony of the US
SUMMARY
The Ukrainian government practically deprived Donbas and Luhansk of voting rights. Ukraine is a colony of the US.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation conspiracy about Ukraine's relations with the US and Ukraine's statehood. The election took place in the context of ongoing armed conflict and other hostilities in the east of the country and the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation. As a consequence, the election could not be organised in Crimea and certain parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are controlled by illegal armed groups. People from Luhansk and Donetsk occupied territories could vote - but they would have to travel from occupied territories to land controlled by the Ukraine government. The United States reiterates its unbending support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognised borders, including its territorial waters.