After pro-Moscow leaders announced in EDonbass, eastern UkraineYesterday, a referendum to join Russia was held. It was Kherson’s turn (south).
The separatist president of the coastal region of Kherson announced today, Tuesday, that local officials in that Ukrainian city decided to hold a referendum on joining Russia.
In turn, a local official from the Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia confirmed that a referendum may also take place in the coming days, to annex the part of the region controlled by Russian forces.
This came following separatist leaders in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, which were recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as independent states before the launch of the military operation on February 24, revealed simultaneous plans to vote on joining Russia.
Donetsk officials indicated that the referendum will take place from 23 to 27 September.
The Duma and Medvedev
For his part, the head of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, stressed that Moscow would support the decision of Donbass citizens if they voted in favor of joining his country.
Also, a top security official in Putin’s administration praised the separatists’ proposals for referendums that would pave the way for the annexation of swathes of Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said earlier on Tuesday that such referendums would change the course of Russian history and give the Kremlin more options to defend what it said would become Russian territory. According to what was reported by Archyde.com.
Destroyed building from Donbass (AB)
He also added in a post on Telegram that “the encroachment on Russian territory is a crime that allows the use of all self-defense forces,” adding that “this is the reason for the fear of these referendums in Kyiv and the West.”
In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the vote on accession is a matter for residents of the regions concerned only.
facilitating naturalization
It is noteworthy that on May 25, Putin signed a decree allowing to facilitate the procedures for residents of Zaporizhia and Kherson provinces to obtain Russian citizenship.
This war of referendums comes following the Ukrainian forces made remarkable progress during the past days in the northeastern part of the country, as part of a counterattack launched two weeks ago to restore vast towns and cities that remained for months under Russian control.
It also simultaneously launched a massive offensive to regain territory in the south, seeking to besiege thousands of Russian soldiers who were cut off from supplies on the western bank of the Dnipro River, and to restore Kherson, the only large city that Russia has maintained since last February.
