Since September 23, referendums have been taking place in four Ukrainian regions, two which seceded in 2014, the people’s republics of Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR), and two which came partially under the control of Russian forces at the favor of the military offensive on Ukraine launched in February 2022: the regions of Kherson and Zaporijjia.
The major Western powers have already announced that they will not recognize the results of these referenda, which they have described as “mock ballots”.
At the question “Do you want to join the Russian Federation?”the inhabitants of the DPR, whose independence (not recognized by the international community) was recognized by Moscow last February, answered, after counting 14% of the ballots, “yes” to 97.91%, reports the Russian news site Gazeta.ru, relaying official information from the RIA Novosti agency.
To the same question, and after the counting of 13% of the ballots, the inhabitants of the LPR answered yes to 97.82%.
Examination in the Russian Senate planned for October 4 in view of integration
In the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, residents had to answer three questions: “Are you for the exit from the Ukrainian state, the creation of an independent state and integration into the Russian Federation?” According to the same source, after counting 100% of the ballots, the yes vote wins in the Kherson region with 96.75% of the votes.
In that of Zaporijjia, after counting 20% of the ballots, the yes obtained 93.12% of the votes.
About 98% of voters who voted in polling stations located on the territory of Russia (these are the many refugees who fled from the Donbass) voted for the integration of the DPR and the LPR into the Russian Federation.
Preliminary results qualified as “literally amazing” by opposition site Medusa.
Russian senators have announced that they will study the question of the integration of the four regions on October 4, reports the site Vzgliad. “We respect the will of the people of the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. If their will is to integrate the Russian Federation we will support it”, said the speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament Valentina Matvienko. The Duma will give its agenda on this issue on September 28.