Fake referendums on the region’s accession to the Russian Federation began on Friday in Moscow-occupied areas of eastern and southern Ukraine. Separatist leader Denis Puschilin spoke of a historic day in the Russian-recognized “Donetsk People’s Republic”. “This referendum is crucial, it is a breakthrough into a new reality,” he said in a video published on the news channel Telegram.
The Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya regions also informed about the start of the vote. A mock referendum was also planned for the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson. Hundreds of thousands of people have until September 27 to cast their vote. The Luhansk region announced that citizens who fled to Russia can also vote there.
Russia wants to annex territories
Russia wants to use the result to annex the territories and invokes the “right to self-determination of peoples”. Neither Ukraine nor the international community recognize the mood under the occupation of Russia. These are sham referendums because they are held without Ukraine’s consent, under martial law and not according to democratic principles. Free work by international independent observers is also not possible.
“We’ll be back home,” said Puschilin. This is not only a victory for the people of Donbass, but also for Russia, which will then grow. “Donbass is Russia.”
vote outside
In the Zaporizhzhya region, only the parts controlled by Russian troops are voted on. The regional capital itself is controlled by Ukraine. The polls started without any problems, polling station member Galina Katyushchenko said. Voting will take place outside for the time being – for security reasons. According to the authorities, voting will take place in all polling stations on September 27.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
