Two Russian-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine announced plans to hold a referendum on accession to Russia this weekend, and an ally of President Vladimir Putin said the vote would forever change the geopolitical landscape in Moscow’s favor.
The move, which has seriously inflamed Moscow’s distance from the West, comes after Russia counterattacked on the battlefield in northeastern Ukraine and Putin considered his next steps in a nearly seven-month conflict that has caused the most serious friction between the West and the East. Since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
The Russia-backed self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and neighboring Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have said that referendums will be held from September 23 to 27.
In a social media post addressed to Putin, DPR head Denis Pushilin wrote: “In the event of a positive decision in the referendum, which we have no doubt, I ask you to consider it as soon as possible. DPR as part of Russia”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian officials based in the southern Kherson region, where Moscow forces control about 95% of the area, also said they have decided to hold a referendum. Pro-Russian officials in parts of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region should do the same.
Ukraine and the United States said such referendums would be an illegal fraud and made it clear that they and many other countries would not recognize the results.
It is unclear how the referendums will be held, as Ukrainian forces attempt to retake Luhansk, while Russian and Russian-backed forces control only about 60% of the Donetsk region.
Pro-Russian officials had previously said that referendums could be held electronically.
The move would come eight years after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Referendums were announced after Ukraine said its troops had recaptured the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region and was preparing to retake the entire province, hitherto completely occupied by Russian forces.
Russia has stated that the main goal of the operation, which it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, is to take full control of Luhansk and the neighboring province of Donetsk, and claims that Russian speakers were harassed and even bombed by Ukrainian government forces, but Kyiv denies this.
Ukrainian troops began entering Luhansk this month after removing Russian forces from northeastern Kharkiv province in a lightning counterattack.
source: Noticias
