Ukraine crisis

MOSCOW -- Moscow regrets that Kiev and its foreign sponsors support the UN resolution on Ukraine's territorial integrity, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Referring to the United Nations General Assembly's recent vote on the resolution, which does not recognize Crimea's absorption by Russia, Moscow said a "potential of Cold War era propagandist machine" was used to mask "the deepest political crisis in Ukraine" and to blame Russia for rising tension in Ukraine.

"(The) wide difference among the positions of the UN members, big number of those abstained or absent from voting is eloquent evidence that one-sided interpretation of events in Ukraine has not been accepted," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a comment.

On Thursday, the UN General Assembly adopted by 100 votes against 11 with 58 abstentions the Ukraine-submitted resolution calling not to recognize the change in status of Crimea.

Russia alleged pressure, political blackmail and economic threats were used to coerce UN members to support the resolution.

Describing the resolution as "counterproductive," Moscow noted that document would complicate the settlement of Ukraine's domestic crisis. Russia urged "constructively-thinking and independent" countries to facilitate real stabilization of the situation in Ukraine.

In Russia's opinion, an anti-constitutional change of regime in Kiev, the destruction of the state's system, the impotence of law enforcement institutions, extremists, mass human rights violations and a deepening economic crisis are the results of Western interference into Ukraine's affairs.

It also called on the international community to recognize the outcome of the referendum in Crimea which "has already played its historical role" and therefore it is "useless to argue."