UN Security Council deems Crimean status referendum illegal

The UN Security Council has branded the approaching referendum on the status of Crimea illegal.

A UN officer told reporters after the Security Council consultations that the Ukrainian situation kept worsening because of the plans to hold an illegal referendum.

He stressed that only an all-Ukraine referendum would be lawful.

The UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Thursday to mull over the Ukrainian situation.

That was the fourth round of consultations held within the past few days. The first round took place last Friday. The UN Security Council met again on Saturday and on Monday. The latest meeting was convened at the initiative of Russia.