In the Russian-occupied separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, referendums on incorporation into the Russian Federation are to be held from 23 to 27 September. This was reported by Russian news agencies, among others. The Cherson and Zaporizhia regions are also said to be planning such a vote. Among other things, Moscow had cited the “liberation” of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions as the reason for the attack on Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, former President of Russia and current Chairman of the Russian Security Council, wrote on Tuesday on his Telegram channel, the referendums are about the “systematic protection of residents” and “the restoration of historical justice”. And: “After its implementation and the inclusion of the new territories in the structure of Russia, the geopolitical transformation in the world will take on an irreversible character.”
The votes that Moscow and the separatists had been planning for months had been postponed to early November because of the expected counterattacks by the Ukrainian army. Precisely because of this now surprisingly successful Ukrainian counter-offensive, the referenda should now be held as soon as possible. As Medvedev writes, further recaptures by Ukrainian forces in these areas could then be presented as an attack on Russia. Such an attack would allow “all forces of self-defense to be used,” according to Medvedev.
However, Moscow did not interpret the Ukrainian attacks on military installations on the Crimean Peninsula in August as attacks on its own territory. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 with a referendum similar to the one now planned in eastern Ukraine. It is unclear how the voting will take place there. According to the latest reports, the entire area of the Luhansk and Cherson regions is no longer under the control of the Russian occupiers.
Chancellor Scholz criticized the planned votes as sham referendums
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed sharp criticism of the plans. It is “very, very clear that these sham referendums cannot be accepted,” said Scholz on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York. They are not covered by international law. “This is nothing but an attempt at imperialist aggression that is intended to be embellished,” he criticized. The USA also condemned the announced referendums. “We will never recognize this area as anything other than a part of Ukraine,” US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in Washington on Tuesday.
Scholz wanted to give his first speech to the General Assembly on Wednesday night German time. It was expected that the chancellor would sharply criticize the Russian war of aggression. In New York he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He demanded the return of all Russian-occupied territories to Ukraine. “Of course, if peace is to be established in Ukraine, the return of the occupied land will be really important. That is expected,” Erdoğan told US broadcaster PBS. The Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia, must also be returned to Ukraine. So far, Erdoğan has always tried to establish good contacts with both Moscow and Kyiv and has not supported Western sanctions against Russia.
The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajday, said at an online press conference that it was clear that the Kremlin now wanted to establish facts because the Ukrainian army was advancing. However, a manipulated referendum that violates international law will not stop the recapture of every centimeter of Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian President’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said: “This is what the fear of defeat looks like.”