SPECIAL OPERATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION TO OCCUPY THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA: THE PSEUDO-REFERENDUM OF 2014

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the illegal, falsified pseudo-referendum on the status of Crimea with pre-formed results and inflated turnout, which took place on March 16, 2014, in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol occupied by Russia. The paper notes that it was preceded by the occupation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation in late February - early March 2014, and the event itself took place in the conditions of the Russian military presence, without free access to information. It is stated that the central authorities of Ukraine, including the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the National Security and Defense Council, the Ministry of Justice and other institutions, strongly condemned this referendum as illegal and held under duress. The author shows the attitude of the Crimean Tatar people and the Mejlis to the pseudo-referendum (they openly condemned Russia's actions, calling them aggression, and declared that it is impossible to determine the future of Crimea without the participation of the Crimean Tatars, who are historically the indigenous people of the peninsula). Although Western states, the United Nations and the European Union condemned Russia's actions, this, however, could not prevent the occupation of the peninsula, as Russia continued to ignore international resolutions. It is noted that the pseudo-referendum was illegal under the Constitution of Ukraine, as changes in the territorial integrity of the country can only be decided by a national referendum, not at the local level, and state borders and territorial integrity are inalienable principles of international law, which were violated by this referendum. Pseudo-referendum did not meet any standards of democratic elections - numerous voting violations were recorded during its conduct, including manipulation of voter lists, improper functioning of election commissions, voting of “dead souls” and the absence of independent observers.