Members of polling stations go to homes accompanied by soldiers armed with Kalashnikov rifles who monitor the process
As the Ukrainian authorities have already warned, the plebiscites held in the occupied territories (Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya) for their incorporation into Russia are on their way to becoming a real scammer, not because of the anti-democratic and absolutely illegal way they are organized, but also because of the dynamics with which they are carried out and, presumably because of the scrutiny, starting on Tuesday when this strange process ends, which has been described as a “farce” and a “show” by Kiev.
Yuri Sobolevski, appointed by the Ukrainian authorities as vice president of Kherson, stated through his Telegram account yesterday that “there are ‘election commissions’ transporting armed soldiers as escorts crisscrossing the region in search of voters.” In his words, “people do their best to avoid them, but some have been unlucky twice. They’ve had to fill out their ballots and vote a second time.”
The BBC cites the case of a woman who was intimidated by polling station members coming to her home in Zaporizhzhya with several armed Russian soldiers. He did not want to reveal his identity and assured him that the situation is “creepy, terrible” as in Kalashnikov’s case they made sure that he cast his vote at the ballot box and even rather watched him fill out the ballot, if he did. or no to the annexation question.
The mayor of Melitopol, a town in the Zaporizhzhya region, Iván Fédorov, yesterday warned of the criminal responsibility of those who help Russia organize what he described as “pseudo-referendums”. As he assured through his Telegram channel, “58 heads of election commissions involved in the pseudo-referendum will soon be deprived of their properties (…), their houses, dacha apartments, land, cars will be seized and their bank accounts will be confiscated.
He added that they could face sentences of up to ten years in prison. Fedorov said they receive information from the citizens of Melitopol and “we also have data on all the traitors in other areas.” Voting in Zaporizhzhya, as well as in the other three areas occupied by the Russian army, started Friday and will last five days. According to sources consulted by the TASS agency, a preparatory project for the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions to Russia will be submitted to the Russian parliament on the 29th.
These referendums are taking place as the “partial mobilization” announced by Vladimir Putin on Wednesday continues. “We are recruiting people who are not allowed to be recruited under the presidential decree,” said the head of the vast Siberian region of Yakutia, Aisén Nikolayev, yesterday.
During a meeting with his government team, Nikolayev ordered “to create a double-filter system in the republic to free those who accidentally mobilize.” He gave the example of “parents with four or more children under the age of 16” and ordered “to strengthen the interaction of local governments with the military commissioners. All those who have been accidentally recruited should be returned. This work has already begun. ” However, reports of similar practices come daily from all corners of Russia, even involving people over the stated age or exempted by studies or other circumstances.
Protests against Putin’s decreed mobilization were repeated yesterday in several cities of Russia. The largest numbers took place in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, where several thousand protesters took to the streets. In these two main Russian metropolises, riot control has been applied most vigorously. More than 700 people were arrested across the country yesterday, according to civil rights organizations, about half of them in the Russian capital. On Wednesday, the number of those arrested reached nearly 1,400 protesters.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
