According to the electoral authorities set up by Russia in the four regions, 93.11% of the citizens of Zaporizhia voted for the annexation of Russia, after 100% of the ballot papers were counted.
In the Kherson region, the Moscow administration reported that 87.05% of voters voted “yes” to the annexation, and all votes were counted.
Shortly thereafter, the authorities in Lugansk also declared a “yes” victory, while the count is in the 4th Ukrainian district where a “referendum” was also held, Donbass (east), although the authorities had already declared that “yes, it prevailed”. so far “.
Today, the Russian presidency (the Kremlin) once again threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend the respective territories.
The referendums, contested by both Kyiv and the West, should be a pretext for Moscow to annex the four regions, which could happen on Friday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ignored the voting numbers announced during the day and stressed that “nothing changes” in the military operations in Kyiv.
Ukraine’s allies also denounced these sounds, which Russia hastily organized in light of the advance of Kyiv’s forces.
At a meeting of the Security Council on the annexation “referendums” held today, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs renewed the UN’s support for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” and its “recognized borders”.
The Group of Seven, a grouping of the world’s seven most industrialized nations (Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) promised to “never acknowledge” the results, while Washington ensured it would give a “harsh response” with new economic sanctions.
In 2014, Russia used the result of a referendum held under military occupation to legitimize the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in the Black Sea.
