There is great international outrage over the referendums that pro-Russian governments will hold in occupied areas of Ukraine. Residents are asked whether their region should join Russia. World leaders speak of bogus referendums whose results are not accepted.
According to Russian state news agencies, referendums will be held from 23 to 27 September in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fled pro-Russian occupied areas. The results therefore appear to be fixed.
A victory for the pro-Russians would mean that the occupied territories, in Moscow’s eyes, will become Russian territory. Analysts fear that Russia may abuse an attack in those areas. For example, as a justification for turning the “special military operation” in Ukraine into a war. As a result, the two million reservists could be called upon to reinforce the weakened armed forces.
World leaders at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly reacted with indignation to the referendum. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz calls these bogus referendums that violate international law. According to him, these are only Russia’s attempts to mask “imperialist aggression”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the “cynical” plan would be fun if it weren’t so tragic. He said the international community would under no circumstances recognize the results of this “parody”. Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden, called the referendum an affront to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The situation bears many similarities to that of Crimea in 2014. A referendum was also held in the peninsula at that time, which is not recognized internationally. According to the Russians, 97 percent of the inhabitants voted to join Russia, after which the peninsula was annexed by Russia.
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