The referendums on the accession to the Russian Federation of the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson end this Tuesday, according to the pro-Russian authorities, and will be the subject of debate at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The parliaments of the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, recognized by the Kremlin on February 21, called a referendum on integration into Russia from September 23 to 27, to which the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhia, partially under Russian rule, joined. Russian .
The Kremlin-controlled Russian news agency Tass writes that in Donetsk and Lugansk the turnout exceeded 80%, while in Zaporizhia and Kherson it barely exceeded 60%.
The official announcement of the holding of these popular consultations for the annexation of the Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation was made in a speech to the nation delivered on Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with the mobilization of 300,000 Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine and a veiled threat. to use nuclear weapons against the West.
There was immediate criticism from Western countries and international organizations of Putin’s speech, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres saying he was “deeply concerned” about Moscow’s plans to hold referendums on the accession of occupied Ukrainian territories to the Russian Federation. .
At a Security Council meeting last week, Guterres stressed that “any annexation of the territory of one state by another state as a result of the threat or use of force is a violation of the UN Charter and international law.” .
With Western countries viewing so-called referendums to ensure their control by Russia as a farce, the Security Council will revisit the issue at a meeting in New York on Tuesday.
The calling of these popular consultations in the territories occupied by Russian forces follows the referendum on joining Russia held in 2014 by the Russophone authorities in Crimea, the result of which legitimized Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of more than 13 million people -more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.4 million to European countries-, according to the most recent data from the UN, which places this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented as confirmed since the beginning of the war 5,916 civilian deaths and 8,616 wounded, stressing that these figures are far below the real ones.
Source: TSF
