Ukraine: India votes against Russia's demand for secret ballot at UNGA

India has voted to reject Russia's demand for a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on a draft resolution to condemn Moscow's annexation of four regions of Ukraine, on Monday.

New Delhi took a position in favour of a public vote against Russia's call for the 193-member body to hold a secret ballot on the draft, reported sources.

While 107 UN member states voted in favour of public vote, only 13 voted for a secret ballot. Thirty four nations, including Russia and China, abstained.

However, India has not revealed how it would vote on the resolution that will be moved on Tuesday or Wednesday.

New Delhi abstained while Russia vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution tabled by the US and Albania to condemn Moscow's illegal referenda and declared the annexation of four Ukrainian territories as invalid last week.

Monday's draft resolution was moved by Albania to condemn Russia's illegal so-called referendums and attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Russia later appealed against the ruling of the president of the general assembly iin favour of a public vote, following which a recorded vote on Russia's appeal was held.

India was among the 100 nations who voted against the challenge made by Moscow.

Russia then sought reconsideration of the decision to adopt the motion submitted by Albania for a recorded vote.

The General Assembly decided not to reconsider the motion after 104 nations, including India, voted against such a reconsideration, while 16 voted in favour and 34 abstained.

Russia's Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia said the UN membership had become witnesses to an outrageous fraud in which the president of the general assembly, unfortunately, played a key role".