“This is a gross interference in our internal affairs. The USA does not have the right to indicate how and where we hold elections that were held in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation and international standards, ”Hempel said.
According to him, the US authorities “must forever realize” that the peninsula became Russian by the will of the people.
He also said that Washington needs to deal with its own elections, and not "crawl with legal assessments into the internal affairs of other states."
Earlier, the American Embassy in Ukraine announced the non-recognition of elections in the Crimea.
Also, a deputy of the State Council of Crimea Aleksey Chernyak in an interview with the FAN commented on the protest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in connection with the elections on the peninsula.
Crimea became the Russian region after a referendum held in March 2014, in which most residents spoke out for reunification with Russia.