“Referenda” ended: “As we expected”

Before midnight, the “referendums” on the union with Russia were counted – with an overwhelming approval rating. A concrete schedule for the “incorporation” of the Ukrainian territories could already be presented today.

The officially announced, provisional voter turnout for the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Luhansk apparently surprised even the reporter from Russian state television: “I’m going to ask my cameraman to show this number: 1,662,607 people voted. That’s 94.15 percent of those eligible to vote – including those who voted from Russia.

The supposed, provisional result of the pseudo-referendum, which was announced late in the evening, was similarly astronomical. Accordingly, 98.42 percent are said to have voted for the Luhansk region to be annexed to Russia.

“Basically, the election went as we expected,” said the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, hours earlier: “We also expected such a turnout. We were sure that it would be very high. ” And the result was already certain for him for a long time.

In fact, no one doubted the outcome of the sham votes, which the Russian side called “referendums.” Before midnight, all ballots in the regions concerned were counted. In the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk and in the areas of the Cherson and Zaporizhia regions controlled by the Russian military, an overwhelming majority is said to have voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation.

“Election observers” are supposed to legitimize the result

Meanwhile, Russian state television went to great lengths to present the supposed referendums as legitimate and transparent. Among other things, foreign “election observers” were presented – also from EU countries such as Germany or, as in this case, from the Czech Republic. “Here in the EU, they call it a ‘referendum under guns’. But I don’t agree with that, because everything was calm, there were no guns,” he says.

Nobody wants to have registered violations of universal suffrage either. The fact that the representatives of the respective local commissions mostly went from door to door to collect the votes – and mostly accompanied by armed soldiers or security forces – is said to have served the safety of the population only. According to Russian state television, there were provocations and attempts at intimidation, but from the Ukrainian side.

The head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, praised the representatives of the so-called “referendum commissions” as “real heroines”: “I know what you had to go through – and how much bravery, courage and tenacity you have shown.”

Annexation in an urgent procedure?

As early as today, the Council of the Russian State Duma could present a schedule for the so-called “admission” of the four Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation. It is still unclear when the actual annexation could take place. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had assured that everything was ready for it. Formally, it requires the approval of the Federation Council, which does not want to meet until next Tuesday – unless the meeting is spontaneously brought forward. In any case, ex-President Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram: “Welcome home – to Russia!”