“Voting” is held at gunpoint in occupied Luhansk Oblast, governor says
The occupiers staged a pseudo-referendum (Photo:REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)
Russia’s sham referendum in the occupied areas of Luhansk Oblast resembles an opinion poll conducted at gunpoint, regional governor Serhiy Hayday said in a Telegram post on Sept. 24.
“As (Russian) occupiers go door-to-door, they offer a piece of cardboard for people to use as cover during the vote,” said Hayday.
Those who dare to vote against “joining” Russia are put on a list, according to the governor. Towns across the region remain closed off for the duration of the “vote.”
“I’m getting a lot of messages from occupied territories, asking for a speedy liberation of Luhansk Oblast,” Hayday added.
Russia announced that a so-called “referendum” will be held across occupied Ukrainian Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts on Sept. 23-27, in an attempt to legitimize its conquests in Ukraine. Russia exerts control only over parts of these regions, while the provincial capital of Zaporizhzhia Oblast remains in Ukrainian hands.
Western countries said they won’t recognize the illegitimate sham vote or any “results” it purports to produce.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the so-called “referendum” will have no effect on Ukraine’s ongoing effort to liberate its lands from Russian occupation.
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