Russian President Vladimir Putin. AP Yonhap News
A referendum for the formal annexation of Russia from occupied territories in Ukraine will be held simultaneously from the 23rd to the 27th of this month. The annexation vote, originally expected to be held in November, appears to have been pushed forward as Ukraine’s territorial retake offensive has intensified.
According to foreign media such as Archyde.com on the 20th (local time), the administrations of the Russian occupied territories in Ukraine decided to hold a referendum on the annexation of Russia from the 23rd to the 27th of this month. The target area is the entire occupied territory of Russia, including the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), where pro-Russian forces declared independence in eastern Ukraine, as well as southern Zaporiza and Kherson provinces. The DPR and LPR are republics declared by pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine in 2014, and Russia recognized their independence shortly before the invasion of Ukraine. Zaporiza and Kherson provinces were mostly occupied shortly following Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
DPR head Dennis Pucillin said, “Donbass is returning home. “The right time has come,” he said. The DPR Parliament immediately passed the bill unanimously. Pushilin has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to approve the incorporation of the DPR into Russian territory as soon as possible if the vote is positive.
LPR head Leonid Pasenchik, Zaporiza pro-Russian head of government Yevgeny Balitzki and Kherson pro-Russian head of government Vladimir Saldo also announced similar plans.
Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian House of Representatives (State Duma), said he would support the decision if citizens wanted to join Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also commented on the voting decision: “The current situation shows that they want to become masters of their own destiny.”
Initially, it was expected that this vote would be held on the ‘National Unity Day’ on November 4th. However, as Ukraine recently recaptured most of eastern Kharkiv and threatened Kherson and Luhansk provinces, the voting schedule seems to have been pushed back.
Ukraine and the West say they will not accept Russia’s referendum plan, saying it is illegal and highly likely to be manipulated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that if Russia conducts a fake referendum, all opportunities for dialogue will be cut off. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also condemned Russia’s referendum as an act of undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty.
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