The authorities of the Luhansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine announced the holding of a referendum on the accession of these territories to Russia, Reuters reported, citing Leonid Pasichnik, the leader of the unilaterally proclaimed republic, to the local press. Heavy fighting continues in the Donbass, that is, the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Watch what’s happening in Ukraine in a minute: a drama in Mariupol. “It’s just genocide.”
I suspect Soon, a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, according to which the people will exercise their constitutional rights and express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation. For whatever reason, I’m totally convinced that it will be – said Leonid Pasechnik, leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic.
The result of the referendum is likely to be the annexation of Luhansk Oblast by Russia. So the scenario from Crimea in 2014 will repeat itself, to some extent, notes Bauwe Balinovsky, a journalist at RMF FM radio.
You can expect it If Russia finally decides to take this step, then a similar referendum will be held in Donetsk OblastThe self-proclaimed Second Republic is located in eastern Ukraine.
It is hard to say whether the separatist referendum on the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic will actually take place. The Chairman of the CIS Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Leonid Kalashnikov, considered the initiative premature.
However, the signal from the self-proclaimed Lugansk authorities fits with speculation about plans to confine the Russian invasion to the Donbass, our journalist comments.
The whole thing is also about Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, one of the most important ports in Ukraine. The city is besieged, half of its inhabitants have left, and those who remain are living in conditions of a humanitarian catastrophe. There is a shortage of food, water, medicine, electricity and heat. The Russians forcibly deported up to 40 thousand people from this city.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleh Nikolenko, also spoke.
“False referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine are null and not legally binding. No country in the world will ever acknowledge the changing power of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. Instead, Russia will face a stronger international response, which will further isolate it.”
After the failure of the plan to seize all of Ukraine, Russia may try to divide the country into two parts according to the Korean scenario, creating a dependent organism in the occupied territories – The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kiryu Budanov, warned in social media.
“Putin did not succeed in overthrowing the government of Ukraine, the Russians also suffered defeats near Kyiv. Currently, they are concentrating their activities in the south and east of the country,” Budanov wrote on Facebook.
said the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (Military Intelligence – GUR MO).
Budanov expects it The Russians are still striving to create a land corridor connecting their country with the occupied Crimea, but the obstacle lies in the position of the “indomitable Mariupol”, which connects them with great powers.
The intelligence chief also warns that the occupier will try, in the areas it controls, to form subordinate power structures “parallel” to the legitimate agencies.
Self-proclaimed republics: Donetsk and Luhansk are located in eastern Ukraine and cover part of the Ukrainian oblasts: Donetsk and Luhansk.
The beginning of the existence of republics dates back to April 2014. At that time, Russian separatists, inspired by Moscow, launched an attack on the Ukrainian local authorities. In Donetsk, they captured the city council building and soon took control of the administration. The creation of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic in the occupied territories was declared.
The emergence of the self-proclaimed creations was “sealed” in May 2014. Independence referendums were held in both republics on May 11, and the independence of the two republics was declared the next day. Referendums were not accepted as binding by the international community.
Soon the founding of the Novorossian Federal Republic was signed, which included the new republics. Subsequent agreements in Minsk led to a formal ceasefire as well as to the activities of the new Federal Republic.
Internationally, the two republics are recognized by each other as well as by South Ossetia, which is itself not fully recognized. On February 21, 2022, Russia officially recognized the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Of course, Ukraine does not recognize them.
