Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that the official date for the admission of occupied regions to the Russian Federation will be announced shortly.
Even though referendums on the matter are still pending, Vladimir Putin’s chief press secretary has teased a formal announcement that occupied parts of Ukraine will soon be formally absorbed into Russia.
TASS reported that Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s press secretary, informed reporters in Moscow this morning that the date of the official entry of additional regions into Russia would be announced shortly.
The declaration was made despite the fact that the referendums in many seized regions of Ukraine, where inhabitants will vote on whether to join Russia, are not due to conclude until Tuesday.
“[The announcement] will be preceded by a particular legislative procedure,” Peskov stated cryptically.
We will keep you informed in a timely manner.
The Kremlin has maintained that the referendums in the Russian-controlled regions of Luhansk, Kherson, Donetsk, and Zaporizhia are democratic and will demonstrate a substantial desire among the residents of these regions to join Russia.
In recent days, however, footage circulating on social media showed armed thugs going door-to-door urging people to vote, while early exit polls indicate that near to 100 percent of respondents support accession to Russia.
In the meantime, Kyiv and its Western supporters have branded the referendums as rigged, characterizing them as a false excuse for annexation.
Before a referendum in Luhansk, Luhansk People’s Republic held by Russia-backed separatists, eastern Ukraine, on Thursday, September 22, 2022, a military truck travels through a street with a poster reading “With Russia forever, September 27.”
Outside of a polling center in Zaporizhzhia is a highly armed mercenary from the infamous Wagner Group.
On September 25, 2022, citizens of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, cast their ballots in contentious referendums.
Russian official media has released dubious exit polls claiming that 97% of Donetsk and Luhansk residents favor joining Russia.
In the regions of Luhansk, Kherson, Donetsk, and Zaporizhia, voting on a formal accession to Russia began on Friday and will continue until Tuesday.
Fearing that they would be compelled to vote or drafted into the Russian army, a number of citizens deserted the regions before to the start of the so-called referendums.
Others have recalled hiding behind closed doors in an effort to escape having to answer to armed soldiers collecting votes door-to-door.
Many of the polling stations were secured by frightening, heavily armed Russian mercenaries from the infamous Wagner Group, as depicted in a deluge of videos and photographs uploaded to the Telegram messaging app and social media.
In other films, soldiers armed with automatic rifles were seen walking through residential neighborhoods and urging locals to vote, while pro-Russian billboards adorned the streets.
Peskov’s statement contradicts the concept that referendums in occupied Ukraine could produce anything than an overwhelming majority in favor of joining Russia.
It occurred just days after a Russian lawmaker informed TASS that the seized regions of Ukraine would likely be merged into Russia on September 30, offering further evidence that the outcome of the referendum is predetermined.
Yaroslav Nilov, deputy head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) faction, stated senators were asked to provide three negative PCR test results by September 30 in order to “participate in an important event.”
Voters in Luhansk, Luhansk, line up for a referendum. Eastern Ukraine, held by separatists backed by Russia, on September 24, 2022
Residents of Crimea from the pro-Russia separatist-controlled areas of Luhansk and Donetsk vote in a referendum in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Friday, September 23, 2022.
Less than a decade ago, the Kremlin attempted to legitimize its invasion of Ukrainian land by organizing bogus referendums.
In 2014, Russia sponsored a referendum in Ukraine’s Crimea to justify its annexation of the Black Sea peninsula, a move that was condemned as unlawful by the majority of the international community.
Ukrainian and Western officials have already indicated they will not recognize the results of this week’s referendum if they favor Russia.
However, Turkey and Kazakhstan joined Kyiv and Western nations in denouncing the practice this week.
Kazakhstan is one of Russia’s closest ex-Soviet allies, as a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a security alliance akin to NATO among former Soviet republics.
Turkey, meanwhile, has proven to be the most effective negotiator between Ukraine and Russia, and played a leading role in mediating talks that led to the Black Sea Grain Initiative – a vital agreement between the warring nations allowing for the safe export of food products to prevent a global food crisis.
Aiyek Smadiyarov, a ministry spokeswoman, stated that Kazakhstan adheres to the values of geographical integrity of states, their sovereign equality, and peaceful cohabitation. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has frequently demanded that the Ukrainian conflict be resolved in accordance with the United Nations Charter.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, took a far more direct approach.
He stated, “We will not recognize the annexation of Crimea, and we have informed Russia of this.”
“We have voiced our worries on the referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson.” We made it obvious that we would not accept them.’