A statement contradicting international law was made by russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet.
According to him, "the Kyiv regime, which has elevated russophobia to the level of state policy, does not represent the population of russian-speaking regions of Ukraine, including Crimea, Sevastopol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson". In his opinion, "today’s Ukraine, according to international law, cannot claim the principle of territorial integrity".
The head of the foreign ministry did not clarify on what basis he reached these conclusions or which part of international law supposedly restricts Ukraine’s right to territorial integrity.
Lavrov’s claims that the Kyiv government does not represent the population of russian-speaking regions are also legally null and void. The southeastern and southern regions of Ukraine actively participated in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections, elected their representatives to the Verkhovna Rada and local self-government bodies. All elections held at the oblast level since the beginning of russia's aggression have been recognized as valid, and their results—meaning the will of the residents of the southeast and south—have helped shape Ukraine’s political map. For example, several regional politicians who later betrayed their homeland were previously represented in various branches of power, including the Verkhovna Rada, before the russian aggression.
Yevhen Balytskyi is a collaborator and former member of Ukraine’s parliament, elected from the Zaporizhzhia oblast. He has now been appointed by the kremlin as the "governor" of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia oblast