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Crimea and Sevastopol

Kremlin slams fugitive MP's claims that vote for Crimea reunification was forced

Russian former MP said earlier she had not voted in favor of Crimea’s reunification since she was abroad at the time, in her opinion, the voting had not been held in accordance with law

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Sergei Fadeichev/TASS

MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refuted allegations saying that members of the Russian parliament "were made" to vote in favor of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

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"I can’t agree with such allegations (that MPs were made to vote in favor of Crimea’s reunification with Russia) as I witnessed almost all the processes, and things did not happen the way that former members of parliament say," Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman confirmed that Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov supported the reunification.

When asked if Surkov supported Crimea’s reunification with Russia, Peskov gave a short answer saying: "Of course". "I don’t know anybody who was against it," he added.

Former member of the United Russia faction in the State Duma (lower house of parliament) Maria Maksakova said earlier that she had not voted in favor of Crimea’s reunification with Russia since she was abroad on vacation at the time, however, she added that in her opinion, the voting had not been held in accordance with law. Maksakova and her husband Denis Voronenkov, also a former member of State Duma, have both left Russia and are currently in Ukraine.

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Crimea and Sevastopol

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