KIEV, Feb. 7 -- The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday adopted a bill to ban Russian observers from monitoring Ukraine's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.
The legislation was supported by 232 votes in favor, surpassing the minimum of 226 required, the parliament said in a statement on its website.
According to the explanatory note, the law was adopted to prevent "Russia's intervention in Ukraine's elections" and prevent "information attacks" aimed at distorting facts about the electoral process in Ukraine.
Last month, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said he had sent a letter to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) asking to reject applications from Russia's monitoring mission for Ukraine's elections.
Commenting on the move, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the Ukrainian authorities of making "anti democratic, anti people decisions".
On Dec. 31 last year, Ukraine's Central Election Commission has officially kicked off the campaign for presidential election and on the same day, it decided to close its polling stations in Russia.
Klimkin later explained that it could be "dangerous" for Ukrainians to vote in the country's presidential election in Russia.
The presidential election in Ukraine is scheduled to be held on March 31, while parliamentary elections have been set for Oct. 27.
Relations between Kiev and Moscow have been deteriorating since early 2017 over Crimea and armed conflicts in eastern Ukraine.
Are you a team player? 你是一名具有团队精神的人吗?
Apple’s headphone headache? 令人头疼的新款苹果耳机
Mobiles at the movies 在电影院里玩手机
Can a lie-in make you healthier? 睡懒觉能让你更健康?
It's on the cards 这件事十有八九会发生
Bye bye Big Ben's bongs 与大本钟的钟声暂时告别
Old-school 老一套,老派
You're pulling my leg! 你在愚弄我!
One good turn deserves another 以德报德,礼尚往来
A cashless society 无现金社会
To fall at the first hurdle 跌倒在第一关
Topping the charts 高居榜首
Bust a gut 拼了命地工作
How to become a billionaire 如何成为亿万富翁
Drama queen 小题大做的人
Sweat it out – in a bath! 泡热水澡等于做运动
Until I'm blue in the face 任凭你磨破嘴皮
The future of English 未来的英语语言变化
The university of life 生活经历
To make a mountain out of a molehill 小题大做