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Kremlin Denies Claims Russian Government Forced MPs to Vote for Crimea Accession

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Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday denied claims of possible forced voting in 2014 for Russia’s reunification with Crimea.

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday denied claims by two former lawmakers, now living in Kiev, who alleged they had been forced in 2014 to vote for Russia’s reunification with Crimea.

"No, I cannot agree with these claims. I was present at almost every voting and it wasn’t like they said," Peskov told reporters when he was asked to comment on allegations made by Denis Voronenkov and his wife Maria Maksakova to Ukrainian media.

Asked whether the voting on Crimea’s accession to Russia was fair and voluntary, Peskov replied, "Of course, I don’t know anyone who was against it."

Voronenkov and Maksakova, both former members of the lower house in the Russian parliament, moved to Ukraine last year and were granted citizenship.

The Black Sea republic of Crimea rejoined Russia in the spring of 2014 when over 97 percent of its residents voted in favor of reunification in a referendum. On March 21, the Russian parliament adopted a federal constitutional law on the formation of two new regions – the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

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