At the end of the so-called referenda, NATO warned Russia against the annexation of four Ukrainian regions: “These regions belong to Ukraine,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg clarified on Twitter on Tuesday after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “NATO allies support Ukraine’s sovereignty and its right to self-defense without ifs or buts,” Stoltenberg stressed.
In the separatist areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, in the Donbass in eastern Ukraine and in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, Russia has been voting since Friday to secede from Ukraine. “The mock referendums being held by Russia have no legitimacy whatsoever and are a blatant violation of international law,” Stoltenberg said.
The vote had taken place for five days. The four regions cover about 15 percent of Ukraine’s territory.
Partial results: clear majority for Russia union
The first partial results show that an overwhelming majority of residents support the union with Russia. The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported this on Tuesday after mock referendums that are not recognized by Kiev and the West. After counting the first ballots at polling stations in Russia, more than 97 percent of voters from affected areas voted in their home region to join Russia, Russian agencies reported Tuesday.
According to Kiev, it will not be influenced by that. “These measures, these Putin decisions will not affect Ukrainian politics, diplomacy and actions on the battlefield,” Kiev Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The vote paves the way for President Vladimir Putin to annex the four territories. After that, Russia could portray any Ukrainian attempt to recapture them as an attack on Russia itself. On September 21, Putin said he was ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia’s “territorial integrity”.
False referendums are not recognized anywhere in the world
The fake referendums are not recognized worldwide because they are held in violation of Ukrainian and international laws and without minimum democratic standards. In recent days, observers have pointed to numerous cases in which Ukrainian residents of the occupied territories were forced to vote.
EU prepares new sanctions against Russia
In view of the mock referendums, the European Union is already preparing further sanctions. “If Russia holds these illegal referendums, sanctions from the European Union will follow, with the full support of my country,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Tuesday during a visit to Kiev. “Like the previous ones, these sanctions will be taken within a European framework.”
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.
