fbpx
Wikipedia

2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine

May 05, 2024

In late September 2022, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian-installed officials in Ukraine staged so-called referendums on the annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia.[1][2][3][4] They were widely described as sham referendums by commentators and denounced by various countries. The validity of the results of the referendums has been accepted by North Korea, and no other sovereign state.

The votes were conducted in four areas of Ukraine – the Russian puppet states of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic in the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, and the Russian-appointed military administrations of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, captured and occupied in the first week of the 2022 invasion[5][6] – as well as in Russia.[1] At the time of the referendums, Russia did not fully control any of the four regions, where military hostilities were ongoing at the time. Much of the population had fled since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] The referendums were illegal under international law and have been condemned by the United Nations as violations of the United Nations Charter.[8][9]

On 30 September 2022, Russia's president Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine in an address to both houses of the Russian parliament. The United Nations, Ukraine, and many other countries condemned the annexation.[10]

Background

See also: War in Donbas (2014–2022) and Revanchism § Russia
 
Russian and pro-Russian separatist control of Ukraine in April 2014

Under the conditions of Russian military occupation and complete dominance of Russian media, the residents of the DPR and the LPR were promised the inclusion of these regions into Russia, as with Crimea. As the director of the Donetsk Institute for Social Research and Political Analysis suggested in 2014, it had been decided to refuse accession referendums due to low support for joining Russia: 35% supported it, while 65% saw themselves as part of Ukraine.[11] In Russia, a 2015 poll by the Levada Center showed that 19% of polled Russians wanted eastern Ukraine to become part of Russia.[12] In March 2021, 25% of polled Russians supported the annexation of the Donbas separatist republics to Russia.[13]

In the context of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials spoke about joining even before the deployment of troops: on 21 February, during a meeting of the Security Council of Russia, Sergey Naryshkin mixed up the topic of conversation and directly supported their entry into the Russian Federation.[14] The reservation gave rise to many rumors about the reality of this plan. Later, the heads of the DPR and the LPR Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik announced plans to hold referendums, but with the proviso that voting would be held after the end of the war.[15][16]

On 9 June, on the 350th anniversary of the birth of Peter the Great, Russian president Vladimir Putin described the land that had been conquered by Peter in the Great Northern War against Sweden as land being returned to Russia. He also compared the task facing Russia today to that of Peter's.[17]

 
Russian control of Ukraine before referendum of September 2022

In the Kherson Oblast, rumours about the creation of the "Kherson People's Republic" or annexation appeared immediately after the occupation in March. Kherson residents responded with rallies under the slogan "Kherson Is Ukraine", which were repressed, with protestors being kidnapped. Local journalist Oleg Baturin, a victim of such a kidnapping, spoke about the use of torture and humiliation against him.[18] The occupying authorities of the Kharkiv Oblast ruled out a formal vote until Russia occupied the entire region. The Russian military-appointed authorities of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast in August signed a decree on preparations for the referendum. However, the decision to hold referendums is not under the jurisdiction of local authorities, but under the administration of the president of Russia.[19]

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that holding referendums in the occupied territories would eliminate the possibility for negotiations for Russia.[19] Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk added that the participation of Ukrainian citizens in these elections would be regarded as collaborationism, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property.[20]

According to Ukrainian intelligence, before the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia planned to hold a referendum in Kharkiv Oblast in November, with a planned 75% vote in favour.[21][22]

In parallel, on 21 September, Vladimir Putin announced mobilization in Russia, which indicated the desire of the Russian leadership to further escalate the war with Ukraine.

Organization

 
Sergey Kiriyenko (left) became Putin's point man in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.[23]

The preparation of referendums and the formation of a new image of Russia after the annexation of Ukrainian territories were entrusted to the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergey Kiriyenko. Under his leadership, an image was formulated for an external audience – Russia as a "continent of freedom" for supporters of right-wing ideologies from all over the world.[24]

As Meduza reported, the organization of the referendums was handled by the Russian State Council's Administration for Ensuring Affairs under the leadership of Alexander Kharichev, a close associate of Kiriyenko. The voting was directly supervised by Kharichev's deputy Boris Rappoport, who is considered a crisis manager and specializes in problematic election campaigns, and since 2014, together with Vladislav Surkov, he has been involved in the affairs of the DPR and the LPR. The chief technologist and coordinator of the referendums was the vice-governor of Sevastopol, Sergei Tolmachev.[25]

Rappoport also selected employees and political technologists with experience in working with the opposition for the role of "political instructors" in the occupation administrations. As Meduza's sources noted, despite salaries of up to 1–2 million rubles a month, few people were ready to go to the occupied territories.[25] and key positions in the governments of the DPR and the LPR were appointed in preparation for the referendums by an official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vitaliy Khotsenko, and a former vice-governor of the Kurgan Oblast, Vladislav Kuznetsov. According to the interlocutor of the publication, the Russian authorities planned to soon remove Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik and replace them with completely controlled functionaries.[26]

According to Meduza, the Russian authorities planned to hold referendums under the slogan "Together with Russia" (it appeared in the campaign in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and a forum of the same name was held in Kherson). The alternative slogan "New Russia", which implied a "new quality" and a stronger Russia, did not please Vladimir Putin and members of the Security Council.[25] The IMA-Consulting group, associated with the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Alexey Gromov, was responsible for the campaign preparations for the referendums.[27][28][29]

Russian official Alexander Malkevich of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation claimed that over 100 "international observers" from 40 countries were present at the referendums,[30] after Ukrainian intelligence sources had warned that Russian special services had been recruiting foreigners, who would face criminal liability.[31] No observers from international organizations such as the OSCE or Council of Europe were present.[32]

Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts

See also: Russian occupation of Donetsk Oblast and Russian occupation of Luhansk Oblast
 
Mykolaivka after shelling on 28 September 2022

The Russian-led militants of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic declared independence from Ukraine in 2014.[33][34] Pro-Russian separatists held discredited independence referendums in May 2014.[35] After invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia started preparations to hold referendums in occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.[36]

On 19 September, the public chambers of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics appealed to their heads of state with a request to "immediately" hold a referendum on joining Russia.[37][38][39] Soon, the State Duma announced that a referendum on the accession of the LPR to Russia would be held in the autumn "in the near future."[40][41]

On 20 September, the People's Council of the Luhansk People's Republic scheduled a referendum on the republic's entry into Russia as a federal subject for 23–27 September.[42] Soon after, the People's Council of the Donetsk People's Republic announced that the referendum on the entry of the DPR into the Russian Federation would be held on the same date.[43]

 
 
Decrees on the conducting of the referendums in the Donetsk People's Republic (left) and Luhansk People's Republic (right)

Questions

In the Donetsk People's Republic, the referendum question was phrased as Вы за вхождение Донецкой Народной Республики в состав Российской Федерации на правах субъекта Российской Федерации? ("Do you approve of the Donetsk People's Republic being incorporated into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?"). The same wording, with only the name of the republic changed, was used on the ballots issued across the Luhansk People's Republic: Вы за вхождение Луганской Народной Республики в состав Российской Федерации на правах субъекта Российской Федерации? ("Do you approve of the Luhansk People's Republic being incorporated into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?").[44] Since neither entity recognizes the status of Ukrainian as an administrative language of any kind, the text on the ballots was printed exclusively in Russian.[citation needed]

Results

According to the results released by the Russian Central Election Commission through its sections in the DPR and the LPR, 99.23% (2,116,800 voters) supported the annexation in Donetsk and 98.42% (1,636,302 voters) in Luhansk. The turnouts were 97.51% (2,131,207 voters) and 94.15% (1,662,607 voters), respectively.[45][46]

After these figures were released, Leonid Pasechnik, the Head of the Luhansk People's Republic, said that he plans on visiting Moscow to request the admission of Luhansk into the Russian Federation.[47]

Kherson Oblast

See also: Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast

The Russian military occupation of parts of Kherson Oblast began on 3 March 2022, when its capital city was captured by the Russian military after the six-day Battle of Kherson.[5]

On 12 March, Ukrainian officials claimed that Russia was planning to stage a referendum in Kherson to establish the Kherson People's Republic, similar to the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. Serhii Khlan, deputy leader of the Kherson Oblast Council, claimed that the Russian military had called all the members of the council and asked them to cooperate.[48] Lyudmyla Denisova, Ombudsman of Ukraine, stated that the referendum would be illegal because "under Ukrainian law any issues over territory can only be resolved by a nationwide referendum".[49] Later that day, the Kherson Oblast Council passed a resolution stating that the proposed referendum would be illegal.[50]

On 11 May 2022, Kirill Stremousov, a deputy head of the Kherson military–civilian administration, announced his readiness to send President Vladimir Putin with a request for Kherson Oblast to join the Russian Federation, noting that there would be no creation of the "Kherson People's Republic" or referendums regarding this matter.[51] Commenting on these statements, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that this issue should be decided by the inhabitants of the region and that "these fateful decisions must have an absolutely clear legal background, legal justification, be absolutely legitimate, as was the case with Crimea".[52]

In June 2022, Stremousov, in a video message on the Telegram channel, said that the Kherson region began to prepare for a referendum on joining Russia.[53] The referendum was going to be prepared by the pro-Putin United Russia party, but members fled the region towards the end of July after Ukrainian forces shelled the Antonivka Road Bridge.[54] Authorities in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast region have not ruled out the possibility of a joint referendum.[55][56]

On 5 September, Stremousov announced that the referendum in Kherson Oblast had been postponed due to "security reasons."[57]

On 7 September, Andrey Turchak, secretary-general of the United Russia party, stated that it "would be right and symbolic" to hold the referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine on 4 November, Russia's Unity Day; Stremousov stated that preparations would be made for this date, "even if we are ready for this referendum to take place right now".[58]

On 20 September, Head of the Kherson Oblast Military–Civilian Administration Volodymyr Saldo announced that the referendum on the entry of the Kherson Oblast into Russia would be held from 23 to 27 September.[59]

Question

The text printed on the ballots is bilingual, with Ukrainian alongside Russian:[44][60]

Do you approve of having Kherson Oblast exit Ukraine, reforming Kherson Oblast into a self-governing state as well as incorporating it into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?

Result

According to the figures released by the Kherson regional section of the Russian Central Election Commission, 87.05% (497,051) supported the annexation to the Russian Federation, with 12.05% (68,832) against and 0.9% of ballots invalid, on a turnout of 76.86%.[61] They claim 571,001 voters took part.[45]

Zaporizhzhia Oblast

See also: Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast
 
The city of Zaporizhzhia after shelling on 24 September 2022

The Russian military occupation of parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast began on 27 February 2022, when the port city of Berdiansk was captured by the Russian military after a three-day battle.[6]

In July 2022, Yevhen Balytskyi, the Russian-installed Mayor of Melitopol and the head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military–Civilian Administration, signed an order for the Central Election Commission of Zaporizhzhia to begin investigating the possibility of a referendum for the region to join the Russian Federation.[62] The date of the referendum on the entry of the Zaporizhzhia region into Russia will be determined "as soon as its security and freedom of expression are guaranteed," Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed main council of the regional administration, told the media.[63]

On 11 August 2022, authorities in the occupied region expressed their desire to hold the referendum on 11 September 2022.[55][64] On 26 August 2022, the Electoral Commission for the preparation of a referendum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast began work.[65]

On 22 September, Balytskyi announced that the referendum on the entry of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast into Russia will be held from 23 to 27 September.[59] This would include all of Zaporizhzhia, including territories not controlled by the Russian military administration. Vladimir Rogov, a collaborator with the Russian administration, demanded Ukrainian troops leave the region "immediately," and that after the referendum "they will be considered occupiers." At the time of the referendum Russia controlled 73% of the region's territory but not its capital, the town of Zaporizhzhia.[66]

On the first day of the "referendum", Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Main Council of MCA, said that the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast will be de jure independent for "some time" following the referendum.[67]

Question

The text printed on the ballots is bilingual, with Ukrainian alongside Russian:[44][68]

Do you approve of having Zaporizhzhia Oblast exit Ukraine, reforming Zaporizhzhia Oblast into a self-governing state as well as incorporating it into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?

Result

On 27 September, Russian officials of the Central Election Commission in Zaporizhzhia claimed that the referendum passed, with 93.11% (of 541,093 voters) favoured joining the Russian Federation.[69][45] The declared turnout was 85.4%.[70] According to the data provided by the commission, the support for the annexation was 90.01% in the Melitopol Raion, while in its administrative center, Melitopol, it was 96.78%.[71]

Other planned locations

Mykolaiv Oblast

See also: Russian occupation of Mykolaiv Oblast

On 8 August 2022, Ekaterina Gubareva, deputy head of the Kherson Civilian-Military Administration announced the annexation of occupied territories of Mykolaiv Oblast. She also claimed that in some occupied towns, Russian mobile communications have begun to work. According to her, such a decision was made in order to provide the population with social payments in the "liberated" territories, as well as to establish mobile communications and television broadcasting.[72][73]

On 13 August 2022, the head of the military-civilian administration of the Mykolaiv Oblast, Yuriy Barbashov claimed that a referendum would take place in Snihurivka to join Russia. The referendum would be aligned with the one in Kherson Oblast. Moreover, Ekaterina Gubareva, deputy head of the military-civilian administration of Kherson, claimed that occupied parts of Mykolaiv Oblast would be annexed into Kherson Oblast. It was said that the referendum would take place in September.[74][75]

Snihurivka people protested against the sham referendum.[76]

Kharkiv Oblast

See also: Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast
 
A fire in Saint Nicholas church in Kupiansk after shelling on 26 September 2022

On 8 July 2022, Vitaly Ganchev [ru], the Russian-appointed head of the military-civilian administration of Kharkiv Oblast, said that Kharkiv is an 'inalienable' part of Russian territory and intends for Kharkiv to be annexed by the Russian Federation.[77] But on 11 August, Ganchev told the Russia-24 TV channel that the authorities of the areas of Kharkiv Oblast controlled by Russian troops are not yet ready to discuss a referendum on joining Russia, because "only 20 percent and no more" of the region is under Russian control.[78] Residents lacking food were denied aid unless they submitted information for the voting register.[79] The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) assessed that a similar referendum would have occurred in Kharkiv Oblast if not for the Ukrainian counteroffensive in September that forced Russia to retreat from most of the territory it occupied.[80]

Opinion polls

There are no public independent statistics on attitudes towards referendums in the occupied territories. A survey taken before the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) suggested that support for joining the Russian Federation ranges from 1% in Kherson Oblast to 13.2% in Luhansk Oblast. According to closed polls commissioned by the Russian authorities in July 2022, about 30% of those surveyed supported joining Russia, about 30% supported staying in Ukraine, and the rest declined to answer.[81][25][28]

In the poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between 13 and 18 May 2022, 77% of Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory said they did not support any territorial concessions to Russia, even if it would prolong the war.[82] A KIIS poll conducted in September 2022 found that 87% of Ukrainians opposed any territorial concessions to Russia, up from 82% in May 2022. Only 24% of ethnic Russians in Ukraine supported territorial concessions to Russia.[83]

Many Ukrainians have fled Russian-occupied territories to avoid referendums and living in territory annexed by Russia.[84][85] According to Ukrainian journalist Serhiy Harmash, "In Kherson and the region of Zaporizhzhia, many hate Russia — but in Donetsk and Luhansk, people have had their heads filled with propaganda for the past eight years."[86]

Opinions on the goals of holding referendums

Military analysts link the decision to hold referendums with the weakness of the Russian Federation on the battlefield.[87] Their announcement followed the rapid advance of the Ukrainian army in the weeks prior, defeating Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction and on the offensive in the east and south. Analysts estimate Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops, has announced a mobilisation to recruit new soldiers, and is facing mounting backlash over its long-term invasion and the general mobilisation order.[88][89] Sources such as The Guardian have called the referendums pre-determined and assumed that Russia will dictate that the results will favour annexation.[90]

Conduct

 
On the first day of the referendum, 23 September. DPR leader Denis Pushilin and Russian politician Andrey Turchak of Putin's United Russia party

During the first four days, only specific people were able to vote, and it was possible to vote in adjoining territories. On the last day, 27 September, polling stations would open for residents. The occupation authorities explained this decision by concern for the safety of residents, many of whom had to vote in front-line settlements.[91]

Voters were coerced into voting[92] with armed soldiers going door to door to collect votes. Ballots were filled out by the soldiers rather than the voters themselves (voters were required to give their votes verbally to a soldier, who wrote on a sheet of paper[93]). Individuals were not allowed to vote, as there was only one vote allowed per household.[94][95][96][97] Voters did not need any form of identification in order to cast a vote.[98] The events ended on 27 September, although, according to the UK ambassador to Ukraine, the final results had likely already been decided beforehand.[99] According to a contributor at the Washington Law Review, Russia will try to use the illegal referendums to give official justification for the annexation of additional Ukrainian territory and for possible negotiations with Ukraine about its NATO status, which is currently unclear due to conflicting statements in past Ukrainian law.[100]

 
The "observers" to Russia's sham referendums. Ukraine denounced eight countries for sending observers to the ballots.[101]

First day

The election commissions began work at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time on 23 September. Polling stations for "voting" opened in Russia at the same time.[102]

On the first day of "voting", rallies were held in Russian cities "in support of referendums on joining Russia" in the occupied Ukrainian regions. In a number of cases, students were offered money and additional points for participating in the rally.[103]

Second day

Anonymous local residents of the cities complained that along with the "election commissions" walking around the apartments, there were military men with automatic rifles, and that "there is no secret ballot." Head of the Luhansk Regional Military–Civil Administration Serhii Haidai said that "commissioners" threatened to break down doors, collected names of those who voted "no", and used the opportunity to identify men eligible for conscription.[79] Residents of Berdiansk told reporters that there were many tents with Russian propaganda in the centre of the city, and there were also volunteers with ballot boxes.[104]

Third day

According to data published by the organizers, on the third day of the referendum, the turnout exceeded 50% in the DPR, LPR and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Russian media – which makes the referendums "valid".[105]

Fourth day

According to the organizers and Russian media, the referendum was recognized as "valid" in the Kherson Oblast: according to their data, more than 50% of voters were able to vote there.[106]

Fifth day

Unlike previous days, on the fifth day of polling, the referendum was held at polling stations.[107]

Reactions

 
On 12 October 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution ES 11/4 declaring that the staged referendums and attempted annexation are invalid and illegal under international law.
  In favour: 143
  Against: 5
  Abstained: 35
  Absent: 10
  Non-member

Ukraine

The government considers the referendum illegitimate,[108] and has accused Russia of coercing residents to vote, as well as busing in sympathetic voters from Crimea.[109]

Russia

Former Russian president and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev posted on Telegram that "The referendums are over, the results are clear. Welcome home, to Russia!".[110]

A number of Russian experts, including Mikhail Minakov and Oleg Ignatov, pointed out that the referendums were illegal even per Russian law and the fact that they were conducted without any form of control over significant parts of the territories was described as a unique precedent that undermined even slightest illusions of their legality.[111]

International organisations

Countries

  •   Australia: Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong stated "The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine. No sham referendum will change this."[117]
  •   Austria: Austrian Foreign Ministry stated "the sham referenda lack any legitimacy under international law and will not be recognized".[118]
  •   Brazil: Permanent representative to the United Nations, Ronaldo Costa Filho, stated that "it is unreasonable to assume that populations in areas in conflict can freely express their will."[119]
  •   Bulgaria: Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Moscow's nuclear rhetoric and so-called referenda "amplify the necessity of consistent support" for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.[120]
  •   Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that Canada and the G7 "will never recognize the outcome".
  •   People's Republic of China: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected.[121]
  •   Czech Republic:
    • President Miloš Zeman signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
    • Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on Twitter that "the Czech Republic does not recognise the referendums on the annexation of four Ukrainian regions to Russia" and that "Russia's annexation of these territories is unacceptable and illegitimate and the Czech Republic continues to regard these territories as Ukrainian."[123][124]
  •   Denmark: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned the referendums and called them "illegally orchestrated by Russia on Ukrainian soil" and added "they have nothing to do with the will of the people".[125]
  •   Estonia: Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted "We will never recognize this" and "Ukraine has every right to take back its territory."[126] President Alar Karis signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
  •   Finland: President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin condemned Russia's sham referendums and stated that Finland will not recognise any attempt to annex parts of Ukraine.[127]
  •   France: President Emmanuel Macron called the referendums a "farce" and stated that France would not recognise the results.[128]
  •   Georgia: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the referendums, reaffirming support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.[129]
  •   Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly criticised the idea of Russia holding referendums in parts of Ukraine.[130] He said it is "quite clear these sham referendums cannot be accepted", citing their illegitimacy according to "international law and by the understandings that the world community has found".[131]
  •   Ghana: Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Harold Adlai Agyeman stated that the international community "cannot continue to live in parallel universes" and urged Russia to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine.[119]
  •   Hungary: Minister of the Prime Minister's Office Gergely Gulyás announced that Hungary does not recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territory by Russia.[132]
  •   India: The Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi expressed support for "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine.[133]
  •   Indonesia: President Joko Widodo remarked that the referendum further complicates peace negotiations to resolve the conflict.[134]
  •   Iran: Spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nasser Kanaani emphasized the necessity of observing territorial integrity under international law.[135]
  •   Ireland: Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney stated that Ireland rejects the "sham referendums" and that "Ireland will never recognise Russian claims to illegally-annexed parts of Ukraine, and will remain steadfast in its support for the people of Ukraine."[136]
  •   Israel: The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that Israel will not recognize the results of the referendum held in four occupied districts in eastern Ukraine. In a published message it is written that "Israel recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and will not recognize the results of the referendums in the eastern regions of Ukraine".[137]
  •   Japan: In a phone call with President Zelenskiy, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strongly condemned Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory, saying that "the process Russia called a referendum and its annexation of parts of Ukraine should never be accepted."[138]
  •   Kazakhstan: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov stated that Kazakhstan will not recognise the referendums. He also added that "Kazakhstan proceeds from the principles of territorial integrity of states, their sovereign equivalence and peaceful coexistence".[139]
  •   Latvia: President Egils Levits signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
  •   Lithuania: President Gitanas Nausėda signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122] Ministrer of National Defence and historian Arvydas Anušauskas compared the annexation referendums to the rigged 1940 parliamentary elections in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that led to the annexation of Soviet-occupied Baltic states in 1940.[140]
  •   Mexico: Permanent Representative to the UN Juan Ramón de la Fuente, stated that any attempt to change borders of Ukraine by using threats and other means violates international law.[119]
  •   Moldova: President Maia Sandu stated that "the Republic of Moldova respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and considers "false" the so-called referendums held by the Russian Federation in several Ukrainian regions", adding that Moldova "does not recognize any actions taken after the fake referendums" and that the 2022 invasion had "dramatically affected" Moldova–Russia relations.[141]
  •   Montenegro: President Milo Đukanović signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
  •   Netherlands: Prime Minister Mark Rutte, said "Let it be clear that this annexation, like that of Crimea, will never be accepted by The Netherlands. The world will not accept that Putin changes borders with the stroke of a pen."[142]
  •   New Zealand: Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said "Aotearoa New Zealand does not recognise the results of the sham referenda in Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine"[143]
  •   North Korea: Director general of the Department of International Organizations of the Foreign Ministry Jo Chol Su stated that "We respect the will of the residents who aspired toward the integration into Russia and support the Russian government's stand of making the above-said regions components of Russia."[144]
  •   North Macedonia: President Stevo Pendarovski signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
  •   Poland: President Andrzej Duda stated that the referendums are worth nothing and Poland will not recognise the results,[145] and signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories[122]
  •   Romania: Foreign Minister of Romania Bogdan Aurescu called the referendums "completely unacceptable" and reiterated Romania's support for the "independence, sovereignty & territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders".[146] President Klaus Iohannis signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
  •   Serbia: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković said that Serbia will not recognise the results of the referendums.[147]
  •   Singapore: Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "The decision by the Russian Federation to formally annex the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson violates international law and the UN Charter, and that the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected."[148][149]
  •   Slovakia: President Zuzana Čaputová, Speaker of the National Council Boris Kollár and Prime Minister Eduard Heger strongly condemned the "pseudo-referendums" in a joint statement, emphasizing that the Slovak Republic recognizes Ukraine as an independent and sovereign state whose territorial integrity within internationally recognised borders must not be questioned.[150] She also signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[122]
  •   Spain: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "illegal voting shams organised in Ukraine", stressing the government's "firm support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders".[151]
  •   Sweden: The Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson stated in a press conference that the referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine is "nothing but a farce".[152]
  •    Switzerland: The Federal Council stated that Russia, as the occupying power, is obliged under international law to comply with international humanitarian law, human rights and the existing Ukrainian legal system and that the occupying power does not gain sovereignty over the area. Switzerland will not recognize the result of the so-called referendum. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Russian ambassador to convey Switzerland's position.[153]
  •   Republic of China (Taiwan): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China condemned the annexation and reaffirms that it stands with like-minded countries in neither recognizing the outcomes of the sham referendums held by Russia nor accepting the actions taken by Russia to illegally annex Ukrainian territory.[154]
  •   Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has maintained a constructive relationship with both NATO and Russia, but decried the attempt with a public statement reading in part, "Such illegitimate faits accomplis will not be recognised by the international community. On the contrary, they will complicate efforts to revitalise the diplomatic process and deepen instability".[155]
  •   United Arab Emirates: Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Mohamed Abushahab stated that referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine will complicate Russia–Ukraine peace negotiations.[119]
  •   United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK had evidence that Russian officials had already set targets for "invented voter turnouts and approval rates for these sham referenda".[156]
  •   United States: President Joe Biden, speaking at the UN General Assembly, denounced the "sham referenda" and stated that the United States will not recognize the results.[157][158]

Human rights organizations

  • Amnesty International described the referendums as "a ruse for Russia to illegally annex occupied Ukrainian territory" and a "profound disregard for international law and the rights of people in the territories under its occupation".[159]
  • Human Rights Watch stated that the referendums "hold no legal value and don't provide a basis for annexation or transfer of sovereignty."[160]

Other

As a result of the sham referendums and of the subsequent annexation, an Internet meme portraying a satirical annexation of Kaliningrad Oblast by the Czech Republic as the "Královec Region" (Czech: Královecký kraj) emerged.[161]

Possible consequences

See also: Military doctrine of Russia and Nuclear threats during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

The referendums have resulted in annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts of Ukraine by Russia.[162][163]

On 22 September, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that any weapons in Moscow's arsenal, including strategic nuclear weapons, could be used to protect territories annexed to Russia from Ukraine. He also said that referendums organized by Russia-installed and separatist authorities would take place in large swathes of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and that there was "no turning back".[164] Medvedev said that Donbas republics and other territories "will be accepted into Russia" and mobilisation will also be used to protect the annexed territories.[164] Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev warned that after the referendums, "protecting people in this region will not be our right, but our duty. An attack on people and territories will be an attack on Russia. With all the consequences."[165] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not rule out the use of nuclear weapons to defend annexed Ukrainian territories.[166]

Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of occupied Melitopol, stated that the main reason for the pseudo-referendum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast is to conscript local men into military service for Russia, just as was the case in the "people's republics" of the Donbas region during the mobilization in Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics on 19 February 2022.[167]

Some estimates suggest that reconstruction of the war-torn annexed territories would cost Russia between $100 and $200 billion.[168] The reconstruction of Mariupol alone will likely cost more than $14 billion.[169]

Aftermath

Main article: Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
 
 
Presidential decrees No. 685 (left) and No. 686 (right), recognizing the independence of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.

On 29 September, the Kremlin announced that Putin would sign treaties on the following day to formally annex territory from Ukraine.[170][171] According to The Guardian, the territories were not named, but Kremlin reporters indicated that four treaties would be signed, which corresponds to the four regions Russia in which the referendums were organized.[172] Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that agreements "on the accession of new territories into the Russian Federation" will be signed "with all four territories that held referendums and made corresponding requests to the Russian side," and that Putin would "deliver a major speech on the subject."[173]

On the same day, Putin recognized the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as independent countries, hours before signing a decree on the annexation of all four regions.[174][175]

See also

Likewise referendums

Irredentism

Geopolitical aspects

References

  1. ^ a b Trevelyan, Mark (27 September 2022). "Moscow's proxies in occupied Ukraine regions report big votes to join Russia". Reuters. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Russia moves to formally annex swathes of Ukraine". Reuters. 20 September 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Война в Украине: ЛНР и ДНР объявили о "референдумах" о присоединении к России 23–27 сентября – Новости на русском языке". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  4. ^ "На оккупированных территориях Украины 23–27 сентября проведут "референдумы о присоединении к России". Главное Тем временем в России вводят понятие "мобилизация" в Уголовный кодекс". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b Brown, Lee (3 March 2022). "Ukrainian city of Kherson captured as Russia vows to fight to 'the end'". New York Post. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Berdyansk: Life Under Russian Occupation". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. 8 April 2022. from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  7. ^ Walker, Shaun (23 September 2022). "'Referendums' on joining Russia under way in occupied Ukraine". the Guardian. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Russia Stages 'Referendums' to Annex Occupied Ukraine Lands". Bloomberg. 23 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  9. ^ "So-called referenda in Russian-controlled Ukraine 'cannot be regarded as legal': UN political affairs chief". UN News. 27 September 2022. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  10. ^ Trevelyan, Mark (30 September 2022). "Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony". Reuters. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  11. ^ Тимошенко, Денис (12 May 2020). "У Кремля були реальні результати "референдуму" в Донецьку, і вони йому не сподобалися? (рос.)". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  12. ^ Украина: внимание и оценки. Levada Center (in Russian). 5 February 2015. from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Ukraine and Donbas". Levada Center. 16 March 2021. from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Нарышкин оговорился и заявил, что поддерживает присоединение ДНР и ЛНР к России". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 21 February 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Источники "Медузы" утверждают: в середине мая в ЛНР и ДНР собираются провести референдум о присоединении к России А в Херсонской области — о создании ХНР". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Признание сепаратистов. События в Донбассе и вокруг". Радио Озоди (in Russian). 22 February 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Hailing Peter the Great, Putin draws parallel with mission to 'return' Russian lands". Reuters. 9 June 2022. from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  18. ^ ""Понадобилось время привыкнуть к мысли, что город не выстоял" Кажется, в Херсоне хотят провести референдум о создании ХНР. Вот что сейчас происходит в оккупированном городе". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  19. ^ a b "На оккупированном юге Запорожья запланировали референдум о "воссоединении" с Россией. Будет, как в Крыму?". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  20. ^ "В Херсонской области отложат т.н. референдум о присоединении к России". Эхо Кавказа (in Russian). 5 September 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  21. ^ Кречко, Ярослав (21 September 2022). "Росія планувала "референдум" на Харківщині з 1 по 7 листопада". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  22. ^ Transitions (20 September 2022). "Moscow Plans Snap Independence Votes in Occupied Ukrainian Territories". Transitions. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  23. ^ Bershidsky, Leonid (15 June 2022). "Putin Prepares to Declare Himself a Conqueror". Bloomberg. from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Вице-король Донбасса "Медуза" рассказывает, как Сергей Кириенко за время войны попал в "ближний круг" Владимира Путина, а теперь готовит присоединение Донбасса и "образ будущей России"". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d ""Поддержки, конечно, мало" Как выяснила "Медуза", по заказу Кремля на оккупированных территориях Украины провели соцопрос о "присоединении к России". Его результаты очень не понравятся Москве". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Как утверждают источники "Медузы", Кремль хочет объединить оккупированные территории Украины в новый федеральный округ в составе РФ Управлять им будут "варяги" из команды Кириенко". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  27. ^ ""Путину не терпится" Кремль снова перенес референдумы о "присоединении" украинских территорий — теперь на 4 ноября. "Медуза" рассказывает, почему у Москвы ничего не получается с этим голосованием". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  28. ^ a b ""Люди там очень волнуются" Как утверждают источники "Медузы", Кремль готовится аннексировать украинские территории в два этапа: сначала — Херсон и Запорожье, а "поздней осенью" — ДНР и ЛНР". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Референдумы готовятся только в ДНР и ЛНР, рабочая дата — 14 сентября – Вёрстка" (in Russian). 26 August 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Over 100 international observers at the referendum in Donbass". www.askanews.it. 25 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Russia recruiting foreign "observers" for sham referenda in Ukraine – intelligence source". Ukrinform. 22 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  32. ^ "Deutscher "beobachtete" Scheinreferenden: Manager nach Reise in den Donbass freigestellt". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). 26 September 2022. ISSN 1865-2263. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  33. ^ Walker, Shaun; Grytsenko, Oksana (12 May 2014). . The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  34. ^ "Separatists Declare Independence Of Luhansk Region". The Huffington Post. from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  35. ^ . TASS. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  36. ^ "Russia Moves to Annex Occupied Ukrainian Land by September". Bloomberg.com. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  37. ^ "Общественная палата ЛНР просит немедленно провести референдум о присоединении к России". Life.ru (in Russian). 19 September 2022. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  38. ^ "В ДНР и ЛНР предложили немедленно провести референдумы о присоединении к России". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  39. ^ "В ЛНР предложили провести референдум о присоединении к России немедленно". РБК (in Russian). 19 September 2022. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  40. ^ "В Госдуме сообщили, что референдум о присоединении ЛНР к России состоится осенью". tass.ru. from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  41. ^ "Депутат Госдумы Водолацкий: референдум о вхождении ЛНР в РФ пройдет осенью". Gazeta.ru. 19 September 2022. from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  42. ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (20 September 2022). "Референдум о вхождении ЛНР в состав России пройдет с 23 по 27 сентября". РИА Новости (in Russian). from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  43. ^ "В ДНР заявили, что референдум о вхождении в состав России состоится с 23 по 27 сентября". tass.ru. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  44. ^ a b c ""Что известно о референдумах в ДНР, ЛНР и освобожденных областях Украины о вхождении в РФ"". TASS. 23 September 2022. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  45. ^ a b c "Residents of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions by the majority supported joining the Russian Federation". tass.ru. TASS. 28 September 2022. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  46. ^ Мингазов, Сергей (28 September 2022). "За вхождение в Россию проголосовали от 87% до 99% участников четырех референдумов". forbes.ru. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  47. ^ Subramaniam, Tara; Fox, Kara; Hayes, Mike; Sangal, Aditi; Vogt, Adrienne (27 September 2022). "Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine". CNN. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  48. ^ "Russia plotting sham referendum to create 'Kherson People's Republic', says Ukrainian official". inews.co.uk. 12 March 2022. from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  49. ^ AFP. "Ukraine says Russia plotting to create a pro-Moscow 'people's republic' in Kherson". www.timesofisrael.com. from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Ukraine: how Putin could try to split the country into regional puppet governments". The Conversation. 14 March 2022. from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  51. ^ "Оккупационные власти Херсона заявили о плане включить регион в состав России". Радио Свобода (in Russian). from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  52. ^ "Ukraine's Occupied Kherson Seeks to Join Russia, Moscow-Installed Leader Says". WSJ. from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  53. ^ "Власти Херсона сообщили о подготовке референдума о присоединении к России". РБК (in Russian). 29 June 2022. from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  54. ^ "Putin's "United Russia" party fled from occupied Kherson". Odessa Journal. 28 July 2022. from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  55. ^ a b "Глава запорожской ВГА заявил о желании провести референдум 11 сентября". РБК (in Russian). 11 August 2022. from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  56. ^ "Названа дата присоединения Луганска, Донецка, Херсона и Южной Осетии к РФ". Новости Луганска и области Новости Украины сегодня Cxid.info. from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  57. ^ "Ukraine war: Russia postpones 'referendum' in occupied region". BBC News. 5 September 2022. from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  58. ^ "Russia Ruling Party Proposes Nov. 4 Annexation Votes For Occupied Ukraine". The Moscow Times. 9 September 2022. from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  59. ^ a b "В Запорожской области состоится референдум по вопросу территориальной принадлежности региона". zapgov.ru (in Russian). 22 September 2022. from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  60. ^ "Референдумы в ДНР и ЛНР и ход военного конфликта". inoSMI (in Russian). 23 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  61. ^ "Итоги референдумов в ЛНР, ДНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областях". RIA Novosti (in Russian). 27 September 2022. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  62. ^ "Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine to hold 'join' Russia votes first. Others will follow". 8 August 2022. from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  63. ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (11 August 2022). "Власти Запорожской области рассказали, когда назовут дату референдума". РИА Новости (in Russian). from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  64. ^ "Власти Запорожья назвали желаемую дату референдума о присоединении к России". TV Centre. 11 August 2022. from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  65. ^ "Избирательная комиссия по подготовке референдума в Запорожской области начала работу". Профиль (in Russian). from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  66. ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (22 September 2022). "В Запорожской области потребовали от Киева вывести войска из региона". РИА Новости (in Russian). from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  67. ^ "В Запорожской области объявят о независимости перед вхождением в Россию". РБК (in Russian). 23 September 2022. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  68. ^ "В "ДНР", "ЛНР", на Херсонщине и в части Запорожской области начались "референдумы" по вхождению в РФ". Новое Издание. 23 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  69. ^ "Pro-Moscow officials say 1 occupied area of Ukraine has voted to join Russia". PBS NewsHour. 27 September 2022. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  70. ^ "Russian Foreign Ministry's statement on the referendums in the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions". Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU. 28 September 2022. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  71. ^ "Based on 100% of protocols 93.11% of residents back Zaporozhye Region's joining Russia". TASS. 27 September 2022. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  72. ^ "Освобожденные территории Николаевской области присоединят к Херсонской". Российская газета. 9 August 2022. from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  73. ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (8 August 2022). "ВКС уничтожили до ста националистов в Херсонской и Николаевской областях". РИА Новости (in Russian). from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  74. ^ "В Снигиревке в Николаевской области пройдет референдум о воссоединении с РФ". tass.ru. from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  75. ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (8 August 2022). "ВКС уничтожили до ста националистов в Херсонской и Николаевской областях". РИА Новости (in Russian). from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  76. ^ "Мешканці Снігурівки вийшли на акцію проти псеврореферендуму". Слово і Діло (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  77. ^ "Russia wants to annex Kharkiv Oblast, unveils flag for region with imperial symbols – ISW". Yahoo. 16 July 2022. from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  78. ^ "В Харькове исключили обсуждение референдума о присоединении к России". РБК (in Russian). 25 July 2022. from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  79. ^ a b Harding, Luke (24 September 2022). "Russians occupying Kharkiv region demanded personal data in return for food". the Guardian. from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  80. ^ "Kremlin proxies stage referendums as Russia aims to seize Ukrainian land". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  81. ^ "'Together with Russia' Kremlin officials push ahead with 'referendums' despite classified polls showing lack of support in captured Ukrainian territories". Meduza. 5 August 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  82. ^ "Most Ukrainians rule out any territorial concessions to end war". Bloomberg. 24 May 2022. from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  83. ^ "Nearly 90% of Ukrainians oppose territorial concessions to Russia – poll". Euronews. 16 September 2022. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  84. ^ "Russia begins annexation vote, illegal under international law, in occupied Ukraine". NPR. 23 September 2022. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  85. ^ "Ukrainians flee from Russian annexation – while they still can". Reuters. 28 September 2022. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  86. ^ "What awaits the people in Russian-annexed Ukraine?". Deutsche Welle. 2 October 2022.
  87. ^ "Емоції Путіна і слабка позиція. Чому Росія поспішно проводить "референдуми"". BBC News Україна (in Ukrainian). from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  88. ^ Hopkins, Valerie (21 September 2022). "Over 1,000 Russian Protesters Arrested After Putin Mobilizes More Troops". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  89. ^ "Heavy Fighting Under Way In Ukraine As Anti-Mobilization Protests Continue In Russia". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  90. ^ "Occupied parts of Ukraine vote in referendums on joining Russia". The Guardian. 23 September 2022. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  91. ^ "На захваченных Россией территориях начались "референдумы". Объясняем, почему это незаконно". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  92. ^ "Voting begins in 'rigged' referendum to join Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine". PBS NewsHour. 23 September 2022. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  93. ^ Kirby, Paul (29 September 2022). "Russia to formally annex four more areas of Ukraine". BBC News.
  94. ^ Waterhouse, James; Adams, Paul; Thomas, Merlyn (23 September 2022). "Ukraine 'referendums': Soldiers go door-to-door for votes in polls". BBC News. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  95. ^ Bowman, Verity (23 September 2022). "Gunmen going door to door forcing Ukrainians to vote in 'sham' referendums". The Telegraph. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  96. ^ Szefer, Maciej (23 September 2022). "Zdjęcie z referendum. Uwagę zwrócił jeden szczegół". wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  97. ^ Kramer, Andrew E. (24 September 2022). "Referendum voting is carried out 'under the muzzle of machine guns,' Ukrainian officials warn". The New York Times. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  98. ^ "Władze Ukrainy: na pseudoreferendum głosowanie odbywa się poza komisjami, bez okazywania dokumentów [RELACJA NA ŻYWO]". Polska Agencja Prasowa SA (in Polish). 24 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  99. ^ Lister, Tim; Kesaieva, Julia; Voitovych, Olga; McCarthy, Simone; Krever, Mick. "Occupied parts of Ukraine vote on joining Russia in 'sham' referendums". CNN. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  100. ^ Panasyuk, Sergiy (1 September 2022). "Could a Political Compromise Be Constitutional? Legal Hurdles for Possible Negotiations with Russia". Washington Law Review. from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  101. ^ "Ukraine names countries whose observers came to sham referendums". Ukrainska Pravda. 24 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  102. ^ "На оккупированных территориях Украины и в самопровозглашенных республиках Донбасса начались "референдумы о присоединении к РФ"". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  103. ^ "В российских городах проходят акции в поддержку "референдумов". На них свозят бюджетников и студентов". Meduza (in Russian). from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  104. ^ "Жители оккупированных территорий Запорожья рассказали, как проходит второй день так называемого референдума". Крым.Реалии (in Russian). 24 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  105. ^ "Референдумы в ДНР, ЛНР, Херсонской и Запорожской областях. День третий. Онлайн". Российская газета. 25 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  106. ^ "Референдумы в ДНР, ЛНР, Херсонской и Запорожской областях. День четвертый". Gazeta.ru. 26 September 2022. from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  107. ^ "Пятый день референдума стартует в республиках Донбасса, на Запорожье и Херсонщине". vesti.ru (in Russian). from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  108. ^ Arhirova, Hanna (23 September 2022). "Voting begins in 'rigged' referendum to join Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine". PBS NewsHour. PBS. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  109. ^ "Ukrainians living in areas occupied by Russian troops are being forced to vote in 'referendums' organised by pro-Moscow authorities, according to Ukrainian officials". The Guardian. 23 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  110. ^ "Moscow's proxies in occupied Ukraine regions report big votes to join Russia". Reuters.
  111. ^ ""Референдумы" на захваченных Россией территориях Украины - почему они незаконны". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  112. ^ "Ukraine: UN Secretary-General condemns Russia annexation plan". 29 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  113. ^ "OSCE heads condemn plan to hold illegal "referenda" in occupied territories of Ukraine". osce.org. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  114. ^ "Macron slams planned referendums in Russia-controlled regions in Ukraine". France 24. 20 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022.
  115. ^ "Talking Europe – EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell slams 'sham referendums' held by Russia in Ukraine". France 24. 23 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  116. ^ "Ukraine: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the illegal "referenda" in Luhansk, Kherson and Donetsk | EEAS Website". www.eeas.europa.eu. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  117. ^ . Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong. 2 October 2022. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  118. ^ "Austria condemns 'illegal sham referenda' held in Ukraine". Reuters. 28 September 2022. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  119. ^ a b c d "So-Called Referenda during Armed Conflict in Ukraine 'Illegal', Not Expression of Popular Will, United Nations Political Affairs Chief Tells Security Council". ReliefWeb. 28 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  120. ^ "MFA Bulgaria tweet". from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  121. ^ "Moscow's proxies hold annexation polls in Russian-occupied Ukraine". France 24. 23 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  122. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Joint statement of Presidents of Central and Eastern Europe". Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  123. ^ Vašíčková, Katherine (30 September 2022). "'Anexe je sprostá krádež a nesmíme ji tolerovat.' Ministři chtějí další sankce a potrestání Ruska". iROZHLAS (in Czech). Český rozhlas. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  124. ^ Petr Fiala. "Petr Fiala Twitter Status". Twitter. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  125. ^ Holm, Christian (29 September 2022). "Mette Frederiksen fordømmer 'på det kraftigste' såkaldte folkeafstemninger i Ukraine" (in Danish). DR. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022. Jeg fordømmer på det kraftigste de såkaldte folkeafstemninger ulovligt orkestreret af Rusland på ukrainsk jord", skriver hun på Twitter og fortsætter: "De har intet med befolkningens vilje at gøre
  126. ^ Kaja Kallas [@Kajakallas] (20 September 2022). "The occupiers' playbook in action. As #Russia moves ahead with fake referenda in occupied territories of #Ukraine, let me say it loud and clear: We will never recognize this. Ukraine has every right to take back its territory. Donbas, Crimea, Kherson = it's all Ukraine" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  127. ^ "Finnish leaders condemn Russian annexation of Ukrainian territories". Yle. 30 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  128. ^ "Macron slams planned referendums in Russia-controlled regions in Ukraine". France 24. 20 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022.
  129. ^ "Georgian foreign office condemns illegal referendums staged by Russia in occupied territories of Ukraine". Agenda.ge. 28 September 2022. from the original on 28 September 2022.
  130. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls Russia's invasion 'imperialism' at UN General Assembly | DW | 21 September 2022". DW.COM. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  131. ^ Kurmayer, Nikolaus J. (21 September 2022). . EURACTIV. AFP. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  132. ^ "Hungary does not recognise Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories". Telex.hu. 29 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  133. ^ "India says it supports 'respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity' ahead of referendums in Ukraine". The Hindu. 23 September 2022. from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  134. ^ Erwanti, Marlinda Oktavia (30 September 2022). "Jokowi: Referendum di Ukraina Bikin Penyelesaian Perang Makin Rumit". detiknews (in Indonesian). from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  135. ^ "Iranian FM spokesperson clarifies Iran's stance regarding referendum on annexation of four regions in Ukraine to Russia". Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  136. ^ . Department of Foreign Affairs. 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022.
  137. ^ אייכנר, איתמר (24 September 2022). "Israel in a message against Russia: we will not recognize the annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine". YNET (in Hebrew). from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  138. ^ "Japan PM condemns Russian annexation of parts of Ukraine". ABC News. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  139. ^ "Kazakhstan says it won't recognise referendums in eastern Ukraine". Reuters. 26 September 2022. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  140. ^ Sytas, Andrius (30 September 2022). "Baltics say Ukrainian annexation mirrors their occupation story". Reuters. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  141. ^ Didila, Elena (30 September 2022). "Republica Moldova consideră false referendumurile desfășurate de Rusia în Ucraina". DCNews (in Romanian).
  142. ^ "Rutte: 'Dit is ook onze oorlog, Nederland steunt nieuw sanctiepakket'". NOS.nl. 30 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  143. ^ "Russia's Ukraine referenda a sham". The Beehive. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  144. ^ "Press Statement of DPRK Foreign Ministry Official". KCNA. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  145. ^ "Referendums organised by Russia in Ukraine are worthless, says Polish president". Reuters. 21 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  146. ^ Neagu, Bogdan (23 September 2022). "Referendums in Ukrainian-occupied zones 'unacceptable,' says Romanian FM". EURACTIV. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  147. ^ "Serbia's FM: We can not accept results of referendums in Ukraine". N1 Serbia. 25 September 2022. from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  148. ^ "Singapore says Russia's annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions violates international law", CNA, 1 October 2022, retrieved 25 October 2022
  149. ^ "MFA Spokesperson's Comments on the Annexation of Occupied Ukrainian Regions into Russia". Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  150. ^ "Slovakia will not recognise the annexation of Ukraine's occupied territories". The Slovak Spectator. 30 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  151. ^ "España no reconoce "los resultados ficticios" de los "simulacros" de referéndum de anexión rusos" (in European Spanish). 28 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  152. ^ Fernstedt, Nora (30 September 2022). "Andersson om Putins nya drag: En ren fars". Aftonbladet (in Swedish).
  153. ^ "Die Schweiz verurteilt die sogenannten Referenden in Gebieten der Ukraine" (in Swiss German). Federal Council. 23 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  154. ^ "MinistryofForeignAffairs,RepublicofChina(Taiwan)". 18 March 2022.
  155. ^ Wintour, Patrick (23 September 2022). "Patience with Putin may be ebbing among friendlier countries". The Guardian. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  156. ^ "Ukraine 'referendums': Soldiers go door-to-door for votes in polls". BBC News. 23 September 2022. from the original on 23 September 2022.
  157. ^ "Biden denounces Russia's 'shameless violation' of UN Charter, urges world to stand with Ukraine". UN News. 21 September 2022. from the original on 23 September 2022.
  158. ^ "Biden Says US Will Never Recognise Russia's Annexation Of Ukrainian Territory". NDTV. 24 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  159. ^ "Russia/Ukraine: So-called referenda in the occupied territories are in blatant breach of international law". Amnesty International. 23 September 2022. from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  160. ^ Gorbunova, Yulia (30 September 2022). "Fictitious Annexation Follows 'Voting' at Gunpoint". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  161. ^ Titlbach, Filip; Svoboda, Vít (5 October 2022). "Studio N: Mají Češi nárok na Královec? #KaliningradIsCzechia". Deník N (in Czech).
  162. ^ "As it happened: EU vows sanctions after Russia's 'illegal' votes in Ukraine – BBC News". Bbc.com. 27 September 2022. from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  163. ^ "Песков: бюджет России выдержит присоединение новых регионов - Новости – Мир – Коммерсантъ". www.kommersant.ru. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  164. ^ a b "Russia's Medvedev: new regions can be defended with strategic nuclear weapons". Reuters. 22 September 2022. from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  165. ^ "Putin orders partial mobilization of Russian reservists and hints using nuclear weapons still possible". CBS News. 21 September 2022. from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  166. ^ "Lavrov, at the UN, pledges 'full protection' for any territory annexed by Russia". Reuters. 24 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  167. ^ "Putin Bets It All in Ukraine". Der Spiegel. 23 September 2022. from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  168. ^ "Putin's Victory in Taking Donbas Will Cost Him Billions". Newsweek. 29 September 2022. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  169. ^ "Putin to sign treaty annexing territories in Ukraine, Kremlin says". The Guardian. 29 September 2022. from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  170. ^ "Russia to formally annex four more areas of Ukraine". BBC News. 29 September 2022. from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  171. ^ "Russia to annex four Ukrainian regions". Financial Times. 29 September 2022. from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  172. ^ "Putin to sign treaty annexing territories in Ukraine, Kremlin says". the Guardian. 29 September 2022. from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  173. ^ "Putin to proclaim rule over seized Ukrainian land in speech". Reuters. 29 September 2022. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  174. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche, Russia-Ukraine updates: Kremlin says recognizes Kherson, Zaporizhzhia | DW | 29.09.2022, from the original on 1 October 2022, retrieved 30 September 2022
  175. ^ "Putin Signs Independence Decrees In Precursor To Seizing Ukrainian Regions". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
  • "Explainer: Russia unfolds annexation plan for Ukraine" by Guy Faulconbridge and Felix Light, published by Reuters (2022-09-22)

May 05, 2024
2022, annexation, referendums, russian, occupied, ukraine, late, september, 2022, context, russian, invasion, ukraine, russian, installed, officials, ukraine, staged, called, referendums, annexation, occupied, territories, ukraine, russia, they, were, widely, . In late September 2022 in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Russian installed officials in Ukraine staged so called referendums on the annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia 1 2 3 4 They were widely described as sham referendums by commentators and denounced by various countries The validity of the results of the referendums has been accepted by North Korea and no other sovereign state The votes were conducted in four areas of Ukraine the Russian puppet states of the Donetsk People s Republic and the Luhansk People s Republic in the Russian occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine and the Russian appointed military administrations of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast captured and occupied in the first week of the 2022 invasion 5 6 as well as in Russia 1 At the time of the referendums Russia did not fully control any of the four regions where military hostilities were ongoing at the time Much of the population had fled since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine 7 The referendums were illegal under international law and have been condemned by the United Nations as violations of the United Nations Charter 8 9 On 30 September 2022 Russia s president Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Donetsk Kherson Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine in an address to both houses of the Russian parliament The United Nations Ukraine and many other countries condemned the annexation 10 Contents 1 Background 2 Organization 3 Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts 3 1 Questions 3 2 Results 4 Kherson Oblast 4 1 Question 4 2 Result 5 Zaporizhzhia Oblast 5 1 Question 5 2 Result 6 Other planned locations 6 1 Mykolaiv Oblast 6 2 Kharkiv Oblast 7 Opinion polls 8 Opinions on the goals of holding referendums 9 Conduct 9 1 First day 9 2 Second day 9 3 Third day 9 4 Fourth day 9 5 Fifth day 10 Reactions 10 1 Ukraine 10 2 Russia 10 3 International organisations 10 4 Countries 10 5 Human rights organizations 10 6 Other 11 Possible consequences 12 Aftermath 13 See also 13 1 Likewise referendums 13 2 Irredentism 13 3 Geopolitical aspects 14 References 15 External linksBackgroundSee also War in Donbas 2014 2022 and Revanchism Russia nbsp Russian and pro Russian separatist control of Ukraine in April 2014 Under the conditions of Russian military occupation and complete dominance of Russian media the residents of the DPR and the LPR were promised the inclusion of these regions into Russia as with Crimea As the director of the Donetsk Institute for Social Research and Political Analysis suggested in 2014 it had been decided to refuse accession referendums due to low support for joining Russia 35 supported it while 65 saw themselves as part of Ukraine 11 In Russia a 2015 poll by the Levada Center showed that 19 of polled Russians wanted eastern Ukraine to become part of Russia 12 In March 2021 25 of polled Russians supported the annexation of the Donbas separatist republics to Russia 13 In the context of the invasion of Ukraine Russian officials spoke about joining even before the deployment of troops on 21 February during a meeting of the Security Council of Russia Sergey Naryshkin mixed up the topic of conversation and directly supported their entry into the Russian Federation 14 The reservation gave rise to many rumors about the reality of this plan Later the heads of the DPR and the LPR Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik announced plans to hold referendums but with the proviso that voting would be held after the end of the war 15 16 On 9 June on the 350th anniversary of the birth of Peter the Great Russian president Vladimir Putin described the land that had been conquered by Peter in the Great Northern War against Sweden as land being returned to Russia He also compared the task facing Russia today to that of Peter s 17 nbsp Russian control of Ukraine before referendum of September 2022 In the Kherson Oblast rumours about the creation of the Kherson People s Republic or annexation appeared immediately after the occupation in March Kherson residents responded with rallies under the slogan Kherson Is Ukraine which were repressed with protestors being kidnapped Local journalist Oleg Baturin a victim of such a kidnapping spoke about the use of torture and humiliation against him 18 The occupying authorities of the Kharkiv Oblast ruled out a formal vote until Russia occupied the entire region The Russian military appointed authorities of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast in August signed a decree on preparations for the referendum However the decision to hold referendums is not under the jurisdiction of local authorities but under the administration of the president of Russia 19 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that holding referendums in the occupied territories would eliminate the possibility for negotiations for Russia 19 Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk added that the participation of Ukrainian citizens in these elections would be regarded as collaborationism which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property 20 According to Ukrainian intelligence before the Ukrainian counteroffensive Russia planned to hold a referendum in Kharkiv Oblast in November with a planned 75 vote in favour 21 22 In parallel on 21 September Vladimir Putin announced mobilization in Russia which indicated the desire of the Russian leadership to further escalate the war with Ukraine Organization nbsp Sergey Kiriyenko left became Putin s point man in the Russian occupied territories of Ukraine 23 The preparation of referendums and the formation of a new image of Russia after the annexation of Ukrainian territories were entrusted to the first deputy head of the presidential administration Sergey Kiriyenko Under his leadership an image was formulated for an external audience Russia as a continent of freedom for supporters of right wing ideologies from all over the world 24 As Meduza reported the organization of the referendums was handled by the Russian State Council s Administration for Ensuring Affairs under the leadership of Alexander Kharichev a close associate of Kiriyenko The voting was directly supervised by Kharichev s deputy Boris Rappoport who is considered a crisis manager and specializes in problematic election campaigns and since 2014 together with Vladislav Surkov he has been involved in the affairs of the DPR and the LPR The chief technologist and coordinator of the referendums was the vice governor of Sevastopol Sergei Tolmachev 25 Rappoport also selected employees and political technologists with experience in working with the opposition for the role of political instructors in the occupation administrations As Meduza s sources noted despite salaries of up to 1 2 million rubles a month few people were ready to go to the occupied territories 25 and key positions in the governments of the DPR and the LPR were appointed in preparation for the referendums by an official of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Vitaliy Khotsenko and a former vice governor of the Kurgan Oblast Vladislav Kuznetsov According to the interlocutor of the publication the Russian authorities planned to soon remove Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik and replace them with completely controlled functionaries 26 According to Meduza the Russian authorities planned to hold referendums under the slogan Together with Russia it appeared in the campaign in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast and a forum of the same name was held in Kherson The alternative slogan New Russia which implied a new quality and a stronger Russia did not please Vladimir Putin and members of the Security Council 25 The IMA Consulting group associated with the first deputy head of the presidential administration Alexey Gromov was responsible for the campaign preparations for the referendums 27 28 29 Russian official Alexander Malkevich of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation claimed that over 100 international observers from 40 countries were present at the referendums 30 after Ukrainian intelligence sources had warned that Russian special services had been recruiting foreigners who would face criminal liability 31 No observers from international organizations such as the OSCE or Council of Europe were present 32 Donetsk and Luhansk OblastsSee also Russian occupation of Donetsk Oblast and Russian occupation of Luhansk Oblast nbsp Mykolaivka after shelling on 28 September 2022 The Russian led militants of the Donetsk People s Republic and the Luhansk People s Republic declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 33 34 Pro Russian separatists held discredited independence referendums in May 2014 35 After invading Ukraine in February 2022 Russia started preparations to hold referendums in occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk 36 On 19 September the public chambers of the Donetsk and Luhansk People s Republics appealed to their heads of state with a request to immediately hold a referendum on joining Russia 37 38 39 Soon the State Duma announced that a referendum on the accession of the LPR to Russia would be held in the autumn in the near future 40 41 On 20 September the People s Council of the Luhansk People s Republic scheduled a referendum on the republic s entry into Russia as a federal subject for 23 27 September 42 Soon after the People s Council of the Donetsk People s Republic announced that the referendum on the entry of the DPR into the Russian Federation would be held on the same date 43 nbsp nbsp Decrees on the conducting of the referendums in the Donetsk People s Republic left and Luhansk People s Republic right Questions In the Donetsk People s Republic the referendum question was phrased as Vy za vhozhdenie Doneckoj Narodnoj Respubliki v sostav Rossijskoj Federacii na pravah subekta Rossijskoj Federacii Do you approve of the Donetsk People s Republic being incorporated into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation The same wording with only the name of the republic changed was used on the ballots issued across the Luhansk People s Republic Vy za vhozhdenie Luganskoj Narodnoj Respubliki v sostav Rossijskoj Federacii na pravah subekta Rossijskoj Federacii Do you approve of the Luhansk People s Republic being incorporated into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation 44 Since neither entity recognizes the status of Ukrainian as an administrative language of any kind the text on the ballots was printed exclusively in Russian citation needed Results According to the results released by the Russian Central Election Commission through its sections in the DPR and the LPR 99 23 2 116 800 voters supported the annexation in Donetsk and 98 42 1 636 302 voters in Luhansk The turnouts were 97 51 2 131 207 voters and 94 15 1 662 607 voters respectively 45 46 After these figures were released Leonid Pasechnik the Head of the Luhansk People s Republic said that he plans on visiting Moscow to request the admission of Luhansk into the Russian Federation 47 Kherson OblastSee also Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast The Russian military occupation of parts of Kherson Oblast began on 3 March 2022 when its capital city was captured by the Russian military after the six day Battle of Kherson 5 On 12 March Ukrainian officials claimed that Russia was planning to stage a referendum in Kherson to establish the Kherson People s Republic similar to the Donetsk People s Republic and the Luhansk People s Republic Serhii Khlan deputy leader of the Kherson Oblast Council claimed that the Russian military had called all the members of the council and asked them to cooperate 48 Lyudmyla Denisova Ombudsman of Ukraine stated that the referendum would be illegal because under Ukrainian law any issues over territory can only be resolved by a nationwide referendum 49 Later that day the Kherson Oblast Council passed a resolution stating that the proposed referendum would be illegal 50 On 11 May 2022 Kirill Stremousov a deputy head of the Kherson military civilian administration announced his readiness to send President Vladimir Putin with a request for Kherson Oblast to join the Russian Federation noting that there would be no creation of the Kherson People s Republic or referendums regarding this matter 51 Commenting on these statements Putin s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that this issue should be decided by the inhabitants of the region and that these fateful decisions must have an absolutely clear legal background legal justification be absolutely legitimate as was the case with Crimea 52 In June 2022 Stremousov in a video message on the Telegram channel said that the Kherson region began to prepare for a referendum on joining Russia 53 The referendum was going to be prepared by the pro Putin United Russia party but members fled the region towards the end of July after Ukrainian forces shelled the Antonivka Road Bridge 54 Authorities in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast region have not ruled out the possibility of a joint referendum 55 56 On 5 September Stremousov announced that the referendum in Kherson Oblast had been postponed due to security reasons 57 On 7 September Andrey Turchak secretary general of the United Russia party stated that it would be right and symbolic to hold the referendums in Russian occupied Ukraine on 4 November Russia s Unity Day Stremousov stated that preparations would be made for this date even if we are ready for this referendum to take place right now 58 On 20 September Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Civilian Administration Volodymyr Saldo announced that the referendum on the entry of the Kherson Oblast into Russia would be held from 23 to 27 September 59 Question The text printed on the ballots is bilingual with Ukrainian alongside Russian 44 60 Do you approve of having Kherson Oblast exit Ukraine reforming Kherson Oblast into a self governing state as well as incorporating it into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation Result According to the figures released by the Kherson regional section of the Russian Central Election Commission 87 05 497 051 supported the annexation to the Russian Federation with 12 05 68 832 against and 0 9 of ballots invalid on a turnout of 76 86 61 They claim 571 001 voters took part 45 Zaporizhzhia OblastSee also Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast nbsp The city of Zaporizhzhia after shelling on 24 September 2022 The Russian military occupation of parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast began on 27 February 2022 when the port city of Berdiansk was captured by the Russian military after a three day battle 6 In July 2022 Yevhen Balytskyi the Russian installed Mayor of Melitopol and the head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Civilian Administration signed an order for the Central Election Commission of Zaporizhzhia to begin investigating the possibility of a referendum for the region to join the Russian Federation 62 The date of the referendum on the entry of the Zaporizhzhia region into Russia will be determined as soon as its security and freedom of expression are guaranteed Vladimir Rogov a member of the Russian installed main council of the regional administration told the media 63 On 11 August 2022 authorities in the occupied region expressed their desire to hold the referendum on 11 September 2022 55 64 On 26 August 2022 the Electoral Commission for the preparation of a referendum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast began work 65 On 22 September Balytskyi announced that the referendum on the entry of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast into Russia will be held from 23 to 27 September 59 This would include all of Zaporizhzhia including territories not controlled by the Russian military administration Vladimir Rogov a collaborator with the Russian administration demanded Ukrainian troops leave the region immediately and that after the referendum they will be considered occupiers At the time of the referendum Russia controlled 73 of the region s territory but not its capital the town of Zaporizhzhia 66 On the first day of the referendum Vladimir Rogov a member of the Main Council of MCA said that the Russian controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast will be de jure independent for some time following the referendum 67 Question The text printed on the ballots is bilingual with Ukrainian alongside Russian 44 68 Do you approve of having Zaporizhzhia Oblast exit Ukraine reforming Zaporizhzhia Oblast into a self governing state as well as incorporating it into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation Result On 27 September Russian officials of the Central Election Commission in Zaporizhzhia claimed that the referendum passed with 93 11 of 541 093 voters favoured joining the Russian Federation 69 45 The declared turnout was 85 4 70 According to the data provided by the commission the support for the annexation was 90 01 in the Melitopol Raion while in its administrative center Melitopol it was 96 78 71 Other planned locationsMykolaiv Oblast See also Russian occupation of Mykolaiv Oblast On 8 August 2022 Ekaterina Gubareva deputy head of the Kherson Civilian Military Administration announced the annexation of occupied territories of Mykolaiv Oblast She also claimed that in some occupied towns Russian mobile communications have begun to work According to her such a decision was made in order to provide the population with social payments in the liberated territories as well as to establish mobile communications and television broadcasting 72 73 On 13 August 2022 the head of the military civilian administration of the Mykolaiv Oblast Yuriy Barbashov claimed that a referendum would take place in Snihurivka to join Russia The referendum would be aligned with the one in Kherson Oblast Moreover Ekaterina Gubareva deputy head of the military civilian administration of Kherson claimed that occupied parts of Mykolaiv Oblast would be annexed into Kherson Oblast It was said that the referendum would take place in September 74 75 Snihurivka people protested against the sham referendum 76 Kharkiv Oblast See also Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast nbsp A fire in Saint Nicholas church in Kupiansk after shelling on 26 September 2022 On 8 July 2022 Vitaly Ganchev ru the Russian appointed head of the military civilian administration of Kharkiv Oblast said that Kharkiv is an inalienable part of Russian territory and intends for Kharkiv to be annexed by the Russian Federation 77 But on 11 August Ganchev told the Russia 24 TV channel that the authorities of the areas of Kharkiv Oblast controlled by Russian troops are not yet ready to discuss a referendum on joining Russia because only 20 percent and no more of the region is under Russian control 78 Residents lacking food were denied aid unless they submitted information for the voting register 79 The Security Service of Ukraine SBU assessed that a similar referendum would have occurred in Kharkiv Oblast if not for the Ukrainian counteroffensive in September that forced Russia to retreat from most of the territory it occupied 80 Opinion pollsThere are no public independent statistics on attitudes towards referendums in the occupied territories A survey taken before the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology KIIS suggested that support for joining the Russian Federation ranges from 1 in Kherson Oblast to 13 2 in Luhansk Oblast According to closed polls commissioned by the Russian authorities in July 2022 about 30 of those surveyed supported joining Russia about 30 supported staying in Ukraine and the rest declined to answer 81 25 28 In the poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between 13 and 18 May 2022 77 of Ukrainians living in Russian occupied territory said they did not support any territorial concessions to Russia even if it would prolong the war 82 A KIIS poll conducted in September 2022 found that 87 of Ukrainians opposed any territorial concessions to Russia up from 82 in May 2022 Only 24 of ethnic Russians in Ukraine supported territorial concessions to Russia 83 Many Ukrainians have fled Russian occupied territories to avoid referendums and living in territory annexed by Russia 84 85 According to Ukrainian journalist Serhiy Harmash In Kherson and the region of Zaporizhzhia many hate Russia but in Donetsk and Luhansk people have had their heads filled with propaganda for the past eight years 86 Opinions on the goals of holding referendumsMilitary analysts link the decision to hold referendums with the weakness of the Russian Federation on the battlefield 87 Their announcement followed the rapid advance of the Ukrainian army in the weeks prior defeating Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction and on the offensive in the east and south Analysts estimate Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops has announced a mobilisation to recruit new soldiers and is facing mounting backlash over its long term invasion and the general mobilisation order 88 89 Sources such as The Guardian have called the referendums pre determined and assumed that Russia will dictate that the results will favour annexation 90 Conduct nbsp On the first day of the referendum 23 September DPR leader Denis Pushilin and Russian politician Andrey Turchak of Putin s United Russia party During the first four days only specific people were able to vote and it was possible to vote in adjoining territories On the last day 27 September polling stations would open for residents The occupation authorities explained this decision by concern for the safety of residents many of whom had to vote in front line settlements 91 Voters were coerced into voting 92 with armed soldiers going door to door to collect votes Ballots were filled out by the soldiers rather than the voters themselves voters were required to give their votes verbally to a soldier who wrote on a sheet of paper 93 Individuals were not allowed to vote as there was only one vote allowed per household 94 95 96 97 Voters did not need any form of identification in order to cast a vote 98 The events ended on 27 September although according to the UK ambassador to Ukraine the final results had likely already been decided beforehand 99 According to a contributor at the Washington Law Review Russia will try to use the illegal referendums to give official justification for the annexation of additional Ukrainian territory and for possible negotiations with Ukraine about its NATO status which is currently unclear due to conflicting statements in past Ukrainian law 100 nbsp The observers to Russia s sham referendums Ukraine denounced eight countries for sending observers to the ballots 101 First day The election commissions began work at 8 00 a m Moscow time on 23 September Polling stations for voting opened in Russia at the same time 102 On the first day of voting rallies were held in Russian cities in support of referendums on joining Russia in the occupied Ukrainian regions In a number of cases students were offered money and additional points for participating in the rally 103 Second day Anonymous local residents of the cities complained that along with the election commissions walking around the apartments there were military men with automatic rifles and that there is no secret ballot Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Civil Administration Serhii Haidai said that commissioners threatened to break down doors collected names of those who voted no and used the opportunity to identify men eligible for conscription 79 Residents of Berdiansk told reporters that there were many tents with Russian propaganda in the centre of the city and there were also volunteers with ballot boxes 104 Third day According to data published by the organizers on the third day of the referendum the turnout exceeded 50 in the DPR LPR and Zaporizhzhia Oblast according to Russian media which makes the referendums valid 105 Fourth day According to the organizers and Russian media the referendum was recognized as valid in the Kherson Oblast according to their data more than 50 of voters were able to vote there 106 Fifth day Unlike previous days on the fifth day of polling the referendum was held at polling stations 107 Reactions nbsp On 12 October 2022 the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution ES 11 4 declaring that the staged referendums and attempted annexation are invalid and illegal under international law In favour 143 Against 5 Abstained 35 Absent 10 Non member Ukraine The government considers the referendum illegitimate 108 and has accused Russia of coercing residents to vote as well as busing in sympathetic voters from Crimea 109 Russia Former Russian president and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev posted on Telegram that The referendums are over the results are clear Welcome home to Russia 110 A number of Russian experts including Mikhail Minakov and Oleg Ignatov pointed out that the referendums were illegal even per Russian law and the fact that they were conducted without any form of control over significant parts of the territories was described as a unique precedent that undermined even slightest illusions of their legality 111 International organisations nbsp United Nations UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the referendums a violation of the UN Charter and international law 8 Some days later he said The Charter is clear Any annexation of a State s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law T he so called referenda cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will 112 nbsp The Organization for Security and Co operation in Europe OSCE Heads of OSCE condemned the plans to hold referendums on Ukraine s occupied territories calling it illegal under both international and Ukrainian law 113 nbsp NATO Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter that Sham referendums have no legitimacy and do not change the nature of Russia s war of aggression against Ukraine This is a further escalation in Putin s war 114 nbsp EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stated that The European Union strongly condemns these planned illegal referenda which go against the legal and democratically elected Ukrainian authorities 115 116 Countries nbsp Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong stated The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine No sham referendum will change this 117 nbsp Austria Austrian Foreign Ministry stated the sham referenda lack any legitimacy under international law and will not be recognized 118 nbsp Brazil Permanent representative to the United Nations Ronaldo Costa Filho stated that it is unreasonable to assume that populations in areas in conflict can freely express their will 119 nbsp Bulgaria Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Moscow s nuclear rhetoric and so called referenda amplify the necessity of consistent support for Ukraine s sovereignty independence and territorial integrity 120 nbsp Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter that Canada and the G7 will never recognize the outcome nbsp People s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected 121 nbsp Czech Republic President Milos Zeman signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 Prime Minister Petr Fiala wrote on Twitter that the Czech Republic does not recognise the referendums on the annexation of four Ukrainian regions to Russia and that Russia s annexation of these territories is unacceptable and illegitimate and the Czech Republic continues to regard these territories as Ukrainian 123 124 nbsp Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen condemned the referendums and called them illegally orchestrated by Russia on Ukrainian soil and added they have nothing to do with the will of the people 125 nbsp Estonia Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted We will never recognize this and Ukraine has every right to take back its territory 126 President Alar Karis signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Finland President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin condemned Russia s sham referendums and stated that Finland will not recognise any attempt to annex parts of Ukraine 127 nbsp France President Emmanuel Macron called the referendums a farce and stated that France would not recognise the results 128 nbsp Georgia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the referendums reaffirming support for Ukraine s sovereignty and territorial integrity 129 nbsp Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly criticised the idea of Russia holding referendums in parts of Ukraine 130 He said it is quite clear these sham referendums cannot be accepted citing their illegitimacy according to international law and by the understandings that the world community has found 131 nbsp Ghana Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Harold Adlai Agyeman stated that the international community cannot continue to live in parallel universes and urged Russia to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine 119 nbsp Hungary Minister of the Prime Minister s Office Gergely Gulyas announced that Hungary does not recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territory by Russia 132 nbsp India The Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi expressed support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine 133 nbsp Indonesia President Joko Widodo remarked that the referendum further complicates peace negotiations to resolve the conflict 134 nbsp Iran Spokesperson of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nasser Kanaani emphasized the necessity of observing territorial integrity under international law 135 nbsp Ireland Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney stated that Ireland rejects the sham referendums and that Ireland will never recognise Russian claims to illegally annexed parts of Ukraine and will remain steadfast in its support for the people of Ukraine 136 nbsp Israel The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that Israel will not recognize the results of the referendum held in four occupied districts in eastern Ukraine In a published message it is written that Israel recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will not recognize the results of the referendums in the eastern regions of Ukraine 137 nbsp Japan In a phone call with President Zelenskiy Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strongly condemned Russia s annexation of Ukrainian territory saying that the process Russia called a referendum and its annexation of parts of Ukraine should never be accepted 138 nbsp Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov stated that Kazakhstan will not recognise the referendums He also added that Kazakhstan proceeds from the principles of territorial integrity of states their sovereign equivalence and peaceful coexistence 139 nbsp Latvia President Egils Levits signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Lithuania President Gitanas Nauseda signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 Ministrer of National Defence and historian Arvydas Anusauskas compared the annexation referendums to the rigged 1940 parliamentary elections in Lithuania Latvia and Estonia that led to the annexation of Soviet occupied Baltic states in 1940 140 nbsp Mexico Permanent Representative to the UN Juan Ramon de la Fuente stated that any attempt to change borders of Ukraine by using threats and other means violates international law 119 nbsp Moldova President Maia Sandu stated that the Republic of Moldova respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and considers false the so called referendums held by the Russian Federation in several Ukrainian regions adding that Moldova does not recognize any actions taken after the fake referendums and that the 2022 invasion had dramatically affected Moldova Russia relations 141 nbsp Montenegro President Milo Đukanovic signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Let it be clear that this annexation like that of Crimea will never be accepted by The Netherlands The world will not accept that Putin changes borders with the stroke of a pen 142 nbsp New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said Aotearoa New Zealand does not recognise the results of the sham referenda in Russia occupied regions of Ukraine 143 nbsp North Korea Director general of the Department of International Organizations of the Foreign Ministry Jo Chol Su stated that We respect the will of the residents who aspired toward the integration into Russia and support the Russian government s stand of making the above said regions components of Russia 144 nbsp North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Poland President Andrzej Duda stated that the referendums are worth nothing and Poland will not recognise the results 145 and signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Romania Foreign Minister of Romania Bogdan Aurescu called the referendums completely unacceptable and reiterated Romania s support for the independence sovereignty amp territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders 146 President Klaus Iohannis signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Serbia Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selakovic said that Serbia will not recognise the results of the referendums 147 nbsp Singapore Singapore s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that The decision by the Russian Federation to formally annex the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk Luhansk Zaporizhzhia and Kherson violates international law and the UN Charter and that the sovereignty political independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected 148 149 nbsp Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova Speaker of the National Council Boris Kollar and Prime Minister Eduard Heger strongly condemned the pseudo referendums in a joint statement emphasizing that the Slovak Republic recognizes Ukraine as an independent and sovereign state whose territorial integrity within internationally recognised borders must not be questioned 150 She also signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories 122 nbsp Spain The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the illegal voting shams organised in Ukraine stressing the government s firm support of Ukraine s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders 151 nbsp Sweden The Swedish prime minister Magdalena Andersson stated in a press conference that the referendums in Russian occupied Ukraine is nothing but a farce 152 nbsp Switzerland The Federal Council stated that Russia as the occupying power is obliged under international law to comply with international humanitarian law human rights and the existing Ukrainian legal system and that the occupying power does not gain sovereignty over the area Switzerland will not recognize the result of the so called referendum The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Russian ambassador to convey Switzerland s position 153 nbsp Republic of China Taiwan The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China condemned the annexation and reaffirms that it stands with like minded countries in neither recognizing the outcomes of the sham referendums held by Russia nor accepting the actions taken by Russia to illegally annex Ukrainian territory 154 nbsp Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained a constructive relationship with both NATO and Russia but decried the attempt with a public statement reading in part Such illegitimate faits accomplis will not be recognised by the international community On the contrary they will complicate efforts to revitalise the diplomatic process and deepen instability 155 nbsp United Arab Emirates Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Mohamed Abushahab stated that referendums in Russian occupied Ukraine will complicate Russia Ukraine peace negotiations 119 nbsp United Kingdom Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UK had evidence that Russian officials had already set targets for invented voter turnouts and approval rates for these sham referenda 156 nbsp United States President Joe Biden speaking at the UN General Assembly denounced the sham referenda and stated that the United States will not recognize the results 157 158 Human rights organizations Amnesty International described the referendums as a ruse for Russia to illegally annex occupied Ukrainian territory and a profound disregard for international law and the rights of people in the territories under its occupation 159 Human Rights Watch stated that the referendums hold no legal value and don t provide a basis for annexation or transfer of sovereignty 160 Other As a result of the sham referendums and of the subsequent annexation an Internet meme portraying a satirical annexation of Kaliningrad Oblast by the Czech Republic as the Kralovec Region Czech Kralovecky kraj emerged 161 Possible consequencesSee also Military doctrine of Russia and Nuclear threats during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine The referendums have resulted in annexation of Donetsk Luhansk Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts of Ukraine by Russia 162 163 On 22 September Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that any weapons in Moscow s arsenal including strategic nuclear weapons could be used to protect territories annexed to Russia from Ukraine He also said that referendums organized by Russia installed and separatist authorities would take place in large swathes of Russian occupied Ukrainian territory and that there was no turning back 164 Medvedev said that Donbas republics and other territories will be accepted into Russia and mobilisation will also be used to protect the annexed territories 164 Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev warned that after the referendums protecting people in this region will not be our right but our duty An attack on people and territories will be an attack on Russia With all the consequences 165 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not rule out the use of nuclear weapons to defend annexed Ukrainian territories 166 Ivan Fedorov the exiled mayor of occupied Melitopol stated that the main reason for the pseudo referendum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast is to conscript local men into military service for Russia just as was the case in the people s republics of the Donbas region during the mobilization in Donetsk and Luhansk People s Republics on 19 February 2022 167 Some estimates suggest that reconstruction of the war torn annexed territories would cost Russia between 100 and 200 billion 168 The reconstruction of Mariupol alone will likely cost more than 14 billion 169 AftermathMain article Russian annexation of Donetsk Kherson Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts nbsp nbsp Presidential decrees No 685 left and No 686 right recognizing the independence of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts On 29 September the Kremlin announced that Putin would sign treaties on the following day to formally annex territory from Ukraine 170 171 According to The Guardian the territories were not named but Kremlin reporters indicated that four treaties would be signed which corresponds to the four regions Russia in which the referendums were organized 172 Putin s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that agreements on the accession of new territories into the Russian Federation will be signed with all four territories that held referendums and made corresponding requests to the Russian side and that Putin would deliver a major speech on the subject 173 On the same day Putin recognized the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as independent countries hours before signing a decree on the annexation of all four regions 174 175 See also nbsp Europe portal nbsp Ukraine portal nbsp Russia portal nbsp Modern history portal Electoral fraud Annexation Likewise referendums 1938 Austrian Anschluss referendum 1946 Polish people s referendum 2014 Crimean status referendum 2014 Donbas status referendums Irredentism Russian irredentism Novorossiya confederation Proposed Russian annexation of South Ossetia Proposed Russian annexation of Transnistria Geopolitical aspects List of military occupations List of national border changes 1914 present Russian occupied territories Territorial evolution of Russia Timeline of geopolitical changes 2000 present References a b Trevelyan Mark 27 September 2022 Moscow s proxies in occupied Ukraine regions report big votes to join Russia Reuters Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Russia moves to formally annex swathes of Ukraine Reuters 20 September 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 21 September 2022 Vojna v Ukraine LNR i DNR obyavili o referendumah o prisoedinenii k Rossii 23 27 sentyabrya Novosti na russkom yazyke BBC News Russkaya sluzhba in Russian Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 20 September 2022 Na okkupirovannyh territoriyah Ukrainy 23 27 sentyabrya provedut referendumy o prisoedinenii k Rossii Glavnoe Tem vremenem v Rossii vvodyat ponyatie mobilizaciya v Ugolovnyj kodeks Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 20 September 2022 a b Brown Lee 3 March 2022 Ukrainian city of Kherson captured as Russia vows to fight to the end New York Post Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 a b Berdyansk Life Under Russian Occupation Institute for War and Peace Reporting 8 April 2022 Archived from the original on 26 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 Walker Shaun 23 September 2022 Referendums on joining Russia under way in occupied Ukraine the Guardian Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 a b Russia Stages Referendums to Annex Occupied Ukraine Lands Bloomberg 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 So called referenda in Russian controlled Ukraine cannot be regarded as legal UN political affairs chief UN News 27 September 2022 Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Trevelyan Mark 30 September 2022 Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony Reuters Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 Timoshenko Denis 12 May 2020 U Kremlya buli realni rezultati referendumu v Donecku i voni jomu ne spodobalisya ros Radio Svoboda in Ukrainian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Ukraina vnimanie i ocenki Levada Center in Russian 5 February 2015 Archived from the original on 2 March 2015 Retrieved 2 March 2015 Ukraine and Donbas Levada Center 16 March 2021 Archived from the original on 3 March 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Naryshkin ogovorilsya i zayavil chto podderzhivaet prisoedinenie DNR i LNR k Rossii www kommersant ru in Russian 21 February 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Istochniki Meduzy utverzhdayut v seredine maya v LNR i DNR sobirayutsya provesti referendum o prisoedinenii k Rossii A v Hersonskoj oblasti o sozdanii HNR Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Priznanie separatistov Sobytiya v Donbasse i vokrug Radio Ozodi in Russian 22 February 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Hailing Peter the Great Putin draws parallel with mission to return Russian lands Reuters 9 June 2022 Archived from the original on 10 June 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Ponadobilos vremya privyknut k mysli chto gorod ne vystoyal Kazhetsya v Hersone hotyat provesti referendum o sozdanii HNR Vot chto sejchas proishodit v okkupirovannom gorode Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 a b Na okkupirovannom yuge Zaporozhya zaplanirovali referendum o vossoedinenii s Rossiej Budet kak v Krymu BBC News Russkaya sluzhba in Russian Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 V Hersonskoj oblasti otlozhat t n referendum o prisoedinenii k Rossii Eho Kavkaza in Russian 5 September 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Krechko Yaroslav 21 September 2022 Rosiya planuvala referendum na Harkivshini z 1 po 7 listopada Radio Svoboda in Ukrainian Archived from the original on 21 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Transitions 20 September 2022 Moscow Plans Snap Independence Votes in Occupied Ukrainian Territories Transitions Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Bershidsky Leonid 15 June 2022 Putin Prepares to Declare Himself a Conqueror Bloomberg Archived from the original on 15 June 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Vice korol Donbassa Meduza rasskazyvaet kak Sergej Kirienko za vremya vojny popal v blizhnij krug Vladimira Putina a teper gotovit prisoedinenie Donbassa i obraz budushej Rossii Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 a b c d Podderzhki konechno malo Kak vyyasnila Meduza po zakazu Kremlya na okkupirovannyh territoriyah Ukrainy proveli socopros o prisoedinenii k Rossii Ego rezultaty ochen ne ponravyatsya Moskve Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Kak utverzhdayut istochniki Meduzy Kreml hochet obedinit okkupirovannye territorii Ukrainy v novyj federalnyj okrug v sostave RF Upravlyat im budut varyagi iz komandy Kirienko Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Putinu ne terpitsya Kreml snova perenes referendumy o prisoedinenii ukrainskih territorij teper na 4 noyabrya Meduza rasskazyvaet pochemu u Moskvy nichego ne poluchaetsya s etim golosovaniem Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 a b Lyudi tam ochen volnuyutsya Kak utverzhdayut istochniki Meduzy Kreml gotovitsya anneksirovat ukrainskie territorii v dva etapa snachala Herson i Zaporozhe a pozdnej osenyu DNR i LNR Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Referendumy gotovyatsya tolko v DNR i LNR rabochaya data 14 sentyabrya Vyorstka in Russian 26 August 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Over 100 international observers at the referendum in Donbass www askanews it 25 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Russia recruiting foreign observers for sham referenda in Ukraine intelligence source Ukrinform 22 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Deutscher beobachtete Scheinreferenden Manager nach Reise in den Donbass freigestellt Der Tagesspiegel Online in German 26 September 2022 ISSN 1865 2263 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 Walker Shaun Grytsenko Oksana 12 May 2014 Donetsk region asks to join Russia The Guardian Archived from the original on 12 May 2014 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Separatists Declare Independence Of Luhansk Region The Huffington Post Archived from the original on 29 November 2014 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Regional legislators proclaim industrial center Donetsk People s Republic TASS 7 April 2014 Archived from the original on 8 April 2014 Retrieved 7 April 2014 Russia Moves to Annex Occupied Ukrainian Land by September Bloomberg com 21 July 2022 Retrieved 28 August 2022 Obshestvennaya palata LNR prosit nemedlenno provesti referendum o prisoedinenii k Rossii Life ru in Russian 19 September 2022 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 V DNR i LNR predlozhili nemedlenno provesti referendumy o prisoedinenii k Rossii Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 V LNR predlozhili provesti referendum o prisoedinenii k Rossii nemedlenno RBK in Russian 19 September 2022 Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 V Gosdume soobshili chto referendum o prisoedinenii LNR k Rossii sostoitsya osenyu tass ru Archived from the original on 19 September 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 Deputat Gosdumy Vodolackij referendum o vhozhdenii LNR v RF projdet osenyu Gazeta ru 19 September 2022 Archived from the original on 20 September 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 Novosti R I A 20 September 2022 Referendum o vhozhdenii LNR v sostav Rossii projdet s 23 po 27 sentyabrya RIA Novosti in Russian Archived from the original on 20 September 2022 Retrieved 20 September 2022 V DNR zayavili chto referendum o vhozhdenii v sostav Rossii sostoitsya s 23 po 27 sentyabrya tass ru Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 20 September 2022 a b c Chto izvestno o referendumah v DNR LNR i osvobozhdennyh oblastyah Ukrainy o vhozhdenii v RF TASS 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 a b c Residents of Donbass Zaporozhye and Kherson regions by the majority supported joining the Russian Federation tass ru TASS 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 Mingazov Sergej 28 September 2022 Za vhozhdenie v Rossiyu progolosovali ot 87 do 99 uchastnikov chetyreh referendumov forbes ru Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 Subramaniam Tara Fox Kara Hayes Mike Sangal Aditi Vogt Adrienne 27 September 2022 Live updates Russia invades Ukraine CNN Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Russia plotting sham referendum to create Kherson People s Republic says Ukrainian official inews co uk 12 March 2022 Archived from the original on 13 March 2022 Retrieved 23 March 2022 AFP Ukraine says Russia plotting to create a pro Moscow people s republic in Kherson www timesofisrael com Archived from the original on 13 March 2022 Retrieved 23 March 2022 Ukraine how Putin could try to split the country into regional puppet governments The Conversation 14 March 2022 Archived from the original on 21 March 2022 Retrieved 20 March 2022 Okkupacionnye vlasti Hersona zayavili o plane vklyuchit region v sostav Rossii Radio Svoboda in Russian Archived from the original on 11 May 2022 Retrieved 11 May 2022 Ukraine s Occupied Kherson Seeks to Join Russia Moscow Installed Leader Says WSJ Archived from the original on 11 May 2022 Retrieved 11 May 2022 Vlasti Hersona soobshili o podgotovke referenduma o prisoedinenii k Rossii RBK in Russian 29 June 2022 Archived from the original on 13 August 2022 Retrieved 11 August 2022 Putin s United Russia party fled from occupied Kherson Odessa Journal 28 July 2022 Archived from the original on 29 August 2022 Retrieved 12 August 2022 a b Glava zaporozhskoj VGA zayavil o zhelanii provesti referendum 11 sentyabrya RBK in Russian 11 August 2022 Archived from the original on 28 August 2022 Retrieved 11 August 2022 Nazvana data prisoedineniya Luganska Donecka Hersona i Yuzhnoj Osetii k RF Novosti Luganska i oblasti Novosti Ukrainy segodnya Cxid info Archived from the original on 11 August 2022 Retrieved 11 August 2022 Ukraine war Russia postpones referendum in occupied region BBC News 5 September 2022 Archived from the original on 6 September 2022 Retrieved 6 September 2022 Russia Ruling Party Proposes Nov 4 Annexation Votes For Occupied Ukraine The Moscow Times 9 September 2022 Archived from the original on 9 September 2022 Retrieved 9 September 2022 a b V Zaporozhskoj oblasti sostoitsya referendum po voprosu territorialnoj prinadlezhnosti regiona zapgov ru in Russian 22 September 2022 Archived from the original on 21 September 2022 Retrieved 21 September 2022 Referendumy v DNR i LNR i hod voennogo konflikta inoSMI in Russian 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Itogi referendumov v LNR DNR Zaporozhskoj i Hersonskoj oblastyah RIA Novosti in Russian 27 September 2022 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine to hold join Russia votes first Others will follow 8 August 2022 Archived from the original on 20 August 2022 Retrieved 25 August 2022 Novosti R I A 11 August 2022 Vlasti Zaporozhskoj oblasti rasskazali kogda nazovut datu referenduma RIA Novosti in Russian Archived from the original on 27 August 2022 Retrieved 11 August 2022 Vlasti Zaporozhya nazvali zhelaemuyu datu referenduma o prisoedinenii k Rossii TV Centre 11 August 2022 Archived from the original on 13 August 2022 Retrieved 11 August 2022 Izbiratelnaya komissiya po podgotovke referenduma v Zaporozhskoj oblasti nachala rabotu Profil in Russian Archived from the original on 30 August 2022 Retrieved 26 August 2022 Novosti R I A 22 September 2022 V Zaporozhskoj oblasti potrebovali ot Kieva vyvesti vojska iz regiona RIA Novosti in Russian Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 V Zaporozhskoj oblasti obyavyat o nezavisimosti pered vhozhdeniem v Rossiyu RBK in Russian 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 V DNR LNR na Hersonshine i v chasti Zaporozhskoj oblasti nachalis referendumy po vhozhdeniyu v RF Novoe Izdanie 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Pro Moscow officials say 1 occupied area of Ukraine has voted to join Russia PBS NewsHour 27 September 2022 Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Russian Foreign Ministry s statement on the referendums in the DPR LPR Kherson and Zaporozhye regions Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Based on 100 of protocols 93 11 of residents back Zaporozhye Region s joining Russia TASS 27 September 2022 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Osvobozhdennye territorii Nikolaevskoj oblasti prisoedinyat k Hersonskoj Rossijskaya gazeta 9 August 2022 Archived from the original on 10 August 2022 Retrieved 9 August 2022 Novosti R I A 8 August 2022 VKS unichtozhili do sta nacionalistov v Hersonskoj i Nikolaevskoj oblastyah RIA Novosti in Russian Archived from the original on 20 August 2022 Retrieved 9 August 2022 V Snigirevke v Nikolaevskoj oblasti projdet referendum o vossoedinenii s RF tass ru Archived from the original on 9 September 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2022 Novosti R I A 8 August 2022 VKS unichtozhili do sta nacionalistov v Hersonskoj i Nikolaevskoj oblastyah RIA Novosti in Russian Archived from the original on 20 August 2022 Retrieved 13 August 2022 Meshkanci Snigurivki vijshli na akciyu proti psevroreferendumu Slovo i Dilo in Ukrainian Retrieved 30 December 2022 Russia wants to annex Kharkiv Oblast unveils flag for region with imperial symbols ISW Yahoo 16 July 2022 Archived from the original on 16 July 2022 Retrieved 10 July 2022 V Harkove isklyuchili obsuzhdenie referenduma o prisoedinenii k Rossii RBK in Russian 25 July 2022 Archived from the original on 17 August 2022 Retrieved 11 August 2022 a b Harding Luke 24 September 2022 Russians occupying Kharkiv region demanded personal data in return for food the Guardian Archived from the original on 26 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Kremlin proxies stage referendums as Russia aims to seize Ukrainian land Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Together with Russia Kremlin officials push ahead with referendums despite classified polls showing lack of support in captured Ukrainian territories Meduza 5 August 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Most Ukrainians rule out any territorial concessions to end war Bloomberg 24 May 2022 Archived from the original on 26 June 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 Nearly 90 of Ukrainians oppose territorial concessions to Russia poll Euronews 16 September 2022 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 Russia begins annexation vote illegal under international law in occupied Ukraine NPR 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Ukrainians flee from Russian annexation while they still can Reuters 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 What awaits the people in Russian annexed Ukraine Deutsche Welle 2 October 2022 Emociyi Putina i slabka poziciya Chomu Rosiya pospishno provodit referendumi BBC News Ukrayina in Ukrainian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Hopkins Valerie 21 September 2022 Over 1 000 Russian Protesters Arrested After Putin Mobilizes More Troops The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Heavy Fighting Under Way In Ukraine As Anti Mobilization Protests Continue In Russia RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Occupied parts of Ukraine vote in referendums on joining Russia The Guardian 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Na zahvachennyh Rossiej territoriyah nachalis referendumy Obyasnyaem pochemu eto nezakonno BBC News Russkaya sluzhba in Russian Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Voting begins in rigged referendum to join Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine PBS NewsHour 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Kirby Paul 29 September 2022 Russia to formally annex four more areas of Ukraine BBC News Waterhouse James Adams Paul Thomas Merlyn 23 September 2022 Ukraine referendums Soldiers go door to door for votes in polls BBC News Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Bowman Verity 23 September 2022 Gunmen going door to door forcing Ukrainians to vote in sham referendums The Telegraph Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Szefer Maciej 23 September 2022 Zdjecie z referendum Uwage zwrocil jeden szczegol wiadomosci wp pl in Polish Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Kramer Andrew E 24 September 2022 Referendum voting is carried out under the muzzle of machine guns Ukrainian officials warn The New York Times Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Wladze Ukrainy na pseudoreferendum glosowanie odbywa sie poza komisjami bez okazywania dokumentow RELACJA NA ZYWO Polska Agencja Prasowa SA in Polish 24 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Lister Tim Kesaieva Julia Voitovych Olga McCarthy Simone Krever Mick Occupied parts of Ukraine vote on joining Russia in sham referendums CNN Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Panasyuk Sergiy 1 September 2022 Could a Political Compromise Be Constitutional Legal Hurdles for Possible Negotiations with Russia Washington Law Review Archived from the original on 20 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Ukraine names countries whose observers came to sham referendums Ukrainska Pravda 24 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Na okkupirovannyh territoriyah Ukrainy i v samoprovozglashennyh respublikah Donbassa nachalis referendumy o prisoedinenii k RF Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 V rossijskih gorodah prohodyat akcii v podderzhku referendumov Na nih svozyat byudzhetnikov i studentov Meduza in Russian Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Zhiteli okkupirovannyh territorij Zaporozhya rasskazali kak prohodit vtoroj den tak nazyvaemogo referenduma Krym Realii in Russian 24 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Referendumy v DNR LNR Hersonskoj i Zaporozhskoj oblastyah Den tretij Onlajn Rossijskaya gazeta 25 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Referendumy v DNR LNR Hersonskoj i Zaporozhskoj oblastyah Den chetvertyj Gazeta ru 26 September 2022 Archived from the original on 26 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Pyatyj den referenduma startuet v respublikah Donbassa na Zaporozhe i Hersonshine vesti ru in Russian Archived from the original on 26 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Arhirova Hanna 23 September 2022 Voting begins in rigged referendum to join Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine PBS NewsHour PBS Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Ukrainians living in areas occupied by Russian troops are being forced to vote in referendums organised by pro Moscow authorities according to Ukrainian officials The Guardian 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Moscow s proxies in occupied Ukraine regions report big votes to join Russia Reuters Referendumy na zahvachennyh Rossiej territoriyah Ukrainy pochemu oni nezakonny BBC News Russkaya sluzhba in Russian Retrieved 24 April 2023 Ukraine UN Secretary General condemns Russia annexation plan 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 OSCE heads condemn plan to hold illegal referenda in occupied territories of Ukraine osce org Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Macron slams planned referendums in Russia controlled regions in Ukraine France 24 20 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Talking Europe EU s top diplomat Josep Borrell slams sham referendums held by Russia in Ukraine France 24 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Ukraine Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the illegal referenda in Luhansk Kherson and Donetsk EEAS Website www eeas europa eu Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Further actions in response to Russia s illegal invasion of Ukraine Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator the Hon Penny Wong 2 October 2022 Archived from the original on 2 October 2022 Retrieved 2 October 2022 Austria condemns illegal sham referenda held in Ukraine Reuters 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 a b c d So Called Referenda during Armed Conflict in Ukraine Illegal Not Expression of Popular Will United Nations Political Affairs Chief Tells Security Council ReliefWeb 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 MFA Bulgaria tweet Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Moscow s proxies hold annexation polls in Russian occupied Ukraine France 24 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 a b c d e f g h i Joint statement of Presidents of Central and Eastern Europe Oficjalna strona Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2 October 2022 Retrieved 2 October 2022 Vasickova Katherine 30 September 2022 Anexe je sprosta kradez a nesmime ji tolerovat Ministri chteji dalsi sankce a potrestani Ruska iROZHLAS in Czech Cesky rozhlas Retrieved 2 October 2022 Petr Fiala Petr Fiala Twitter Status Twitter Retrieved 2 October 2022 Holm Christian 29 September 2022 Mette Frederiksen fordommer pa det kraftigste sakaldte folkeafstemninger i Ukraine in Danish DR Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 1 October 2022 Jeg fordommer pa det kraftigste de sakaldte folkeafstemninger ulovligt orkestreret af Rusland pa ukrainsk jord skriver hun pa Twitter og fortsaetter De har intet med befolkningens vilje at gore Kaja Kallas Kajakallas 20 September 2022 The occupiers playbook in action As Russia moves ahead with fake referenda in occupied territories of Ukraine let me say it loud and clear We will never recognize this Ukraine has every right to take back its territory Donbas Crimea Kherson it s all Ukraine Tweet via Twitter Finnish leaders condemn Russian annexation of Ukrainian territories Yle 30 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 1 October 2022 Macron slams planned referendums in Russia controlled regions in Ukraine France 24 20 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Georgian foreign office condemns illegal referendums staged by Russia in occupied territories of Ukraine Agenda ge 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Welle www dw com Deutsche German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls Russia s invasion imperialism at UN General Assembly DW 21 September 2022 DW COM Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Kurmayer Nikolaus J 21 September 2022 Germany will not recognise Russia s annexation referenda in Ukraine EURACTIV AFP Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Hungary does not recognise Russia s annexation of Ukrainian territories Telex hu 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 India says it supports respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity ahead of referendums in Ukraine The Hindu 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Erwanti Marlinda Oktavia 30 September 2022 Jokowi Referendum di Ukraina Bikin Penyelesaian Perang Makin Rumit detiknews in Indonesian Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 1 October 2022 Iranian FM spokesperson clarifies Iran s stance regarding referendum on annexation of four regions in Ukraine to Russia Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 4 October 2022 Retrieved 4 October 2022 Statement by Minister Coveney on the sham referendums in Ukraine Department of Foreign Affairs 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 אייכנר איתמר 24 September 2022 Israel in a message against Russia we will not recognize the annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine YNET in Hebrew Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Japan PM condemns Russian annexation of parts of Ukraine ABC News Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 1 October 2022 Kazakhstan says it won t recognise referendums in eastern Ukraine Reuters 26 September 2022 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Sytas Andrius 30 September 2022 Baltics say Ukrainian annexation mirrors their occupation story Reuters Retrieved 30 September 2022 Didila Elena 30 September 2022 Republica Moldova consideră false referendumurile desfășurate de Rusia in Ucraina DCNews in Romanian Rutte Dit is ook onze oorlog Nederland steunt nieuw sanctiepakket NOS nl 30 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 Russia s Ukraine referenda a sham The Beehive Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Press Statement of DPRK Foreign Ministry Official KCNA Retrieved 4 October 2022 Referendums organised by Russia in Ukraine are worthless says Polish president Reuters 21 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Neagu Bogdan 23 September 2022 Referendums in Ukrainian occupied zones unacceptable says Romanian FM EURACTIV Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 26 September 2022 Serbia s FM We can not accept results of referendums in Ukraine N1 Serbia 25 September 2022 Archived from the original on 25 September 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Singapore says Russia s annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions violates international law CNA 1 October 2022 retrieved 25 October 2022 MFA Spokesperson s Comments on the Annexation of Occupied Ukrainian Regions into Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore 20 October 2022 Retrieved 7 February 2024 Slovakia will not recognise the annexation of Ukraine s occupied territories The Slovak Spectator 30 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 Espana no reconoce los resultados ficticios de los simulacros de referendum de anexion rusos in European Spanish 28 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 28 September 2022 Fernstedt Nora 30 September 2022 Andersson om Putins nya drag En ren fars Aftonbladet in Swedish Die Schweiz verurteilt die sogenannten Referenden in Gebieten der Ukraine in Swiss German Federal Council 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 MinistryofForeignAffairs RepublicofChina Taiwan 18 March 2022 Wintour Patrick 23 September 2022 Patience with Putin may be ebbing among friendlier countries The Guardian Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 23 September 2022 Ukraine referendums Soldiers go door to door for votes in polls BBC News 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Biden denounces Russia s shameless violation of UN Charter urges world to stand with Ukraine UN News 21 September 2022 Archived from the original on 23 September 2022 Biden Says US Will Never Recognise Russia s Annexation Of Ukrainian Territory NDTV 24 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Russia Ukraine So called referenda in the occupied territories are in blatant breach of international law Amnesty International 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 27 September 2022 Retrieved 27 September 2022 Gorbunova Yulia 30 September 2022 Fictitious Annexation Follows Voting at Gunpoint Human Rights Watch Retrieved 2 October 2022 Titlbach Filip Svoboda Vit 5 October 2022 Studio N Maji Cesi narok na Kralovec KaliningradIsCzechia Denik N in Czech As it happened EU vows sanctions after Russia s illegal votes in Ukraine BBC News Bbc com 27 September 2022 Archived from the original on 28 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Peskov byudzhet Rossii vyderzhit prisoedinenie novyh regionov Novosti Mir Kommersant www kommersant ru Retrieved 30 December 2022 a b Russia s Medvedev new regions can be defended with strategic nuclear weapons Reuters 22 September 2022 Archived from the original on 22 September 2022 Retrieved 22 September 2022 Putin orders partial mobilization of Russian reservists and hints using nuclear weapons still possible CBS News 21 September 2022 Archived from the original on 24 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Lavrov at the UN pledges full protection for any territory annexed by Russia Reuters 24 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 25 September 2022 Putin Bets It All in Ukraine Der Spiegel 23 September 2022 Archived from the original on 26 September 2022 Retrieved 24 September 2022 Putin s Victory in Taking Donbas Will Cost Him Billions Newsweek 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Putin to sign treaty annexing territories in Ukraine Kremlin says The Guardian 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Russia to formally annex four more areas of Ukraine BBC News 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Russia to annex four Ukrainian regions Financial Times 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 30 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Putin to sign treaty annexing territories in Ukraine Kremlin says the Guardian 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Putin to proclaim rule over seized Ukrainian land in speech Reuters 29 September 2022 Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 29 September 2022 Welle www dw com Deutsche Russia Ukraine updates Kremlin says recognizes Kherson Zaporizhzhia DW 29 09 2022 archived from the original on 1 October 2022 retrieved 30 September 2022 Putin Signs Independence Decrees In Precursor To Seizing Ukrainian Regions RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 Retrieved 30 September 2022 External links nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2022 annexation referendums in Russian occupied Ukraine Explainer Russia unfolds annexation plan for Ukraine by Guy Faulconbridge and Felix Light published by Reuters 2022 09 22 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2022 annexation referendums in Russian occupied Ukraine amp oldid 1206957538, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.