Representatives of Czechia and Estonia will not be in attendance for Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming presidential inauguration, the foreign ministers of the respective countries confirmed on May 5.
Russia's most recent presidential election has been internationally recognized as rigged by the Kremlin. Credible opposition politicians were not permitted to run in the election.
Czechia and Estonia join the United Kingdom, Canada, Latvia, and Lithuania in boycotting the inauguration schedule to be held in Moscow on May 7, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. Other Western allies, including the European Union, have to yet to confirm whether their representatives will be in attendance at the event.
"Estonia cannot legitimize diplomatic relations with an aggressor state, and we have decided not to attend Putin's inauguration ceremony," a spokesperson for Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.
"During a time when Putin is engaged in a war of aggression in Europe, killing and deporting innocent people, while carrying out hybrid attacks against EU and NATO members, we find attending ceremonies that perpetuate his rule to be unthinkable."
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky echoed comments made by his Estonian counterpart, adding that "the current relations between Czechia and Russia do not warrant the presence of our embassy representative at the Tuesday inauguration."
According to evidence published by election experts, observers, and media, the March 15-17 presidential election, which Putin 'won' with 87 per cent support, was the most rigged in Russia's modern history.
Estimates of vote rigging range from at least 22 million votes to about 31.6 million votes, without taking into account the online voting and the election at gunpoint in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
If these results are included, voting fraud could have amounted to up to around 40 million votes, or 46% of the people who allegedly voted.
Oleg Sukhov
(Updated: )
