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This is how voting will take place in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia

This is how voting will take place in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia

The Ukrainian territories partially controlled by the Russian Army began voting this Friday on their incorporation into Russia in referendums branded as illegal by the Kyiv government and practically the entire international community. These are the keys to the pro-Russian consultations:

Where are the referendums held?

They are celebrated in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, and in the south and southeast of the country.

The self-proclaimed popular republic of Lugansk, with an area of ​​26,683 square kilometers and 2.1 million inhabitants, according to data from the year 2000, and controlled almost entirely by Russian forces.

In the self-proclaimed people's republic of Donetsk, with an area of ​​26,517 square kilometers and 4.1 million inhabitants, according to 2021 data, 55% is controlled by Russian forces, according to Kyiv.

In the Kherson region, with an area of ​​28,461 square kilometers and 1 million inhabitants, according to 2020 data, 95% is controlled by the Russian Army, according to pro-Russian authorities.

In the Zaporizhia region, with an area of ​​27,183 kilometers and 1.6 million inhabitants, according to 2020 data, more than 70% are controlled by Russian forces. - In addition, the citizens of these territories will be able to vote in qualified schools in various cities of Russia.

What do they ask on the ballots?

The question is not exactly the same in all the territories where the voting is held. On the one hand, in the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, the question is "do you support the incorporation of the republic into the Russian Federation with the rights of an entity of the Russian Federation?"

In the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, the question is "are you in favor of the region leaving Ukraine, creating a sovereign state, and joining the Russian Federation?"

🤬На окупованій частині Донеччини стартував "референдум" щодо приєднання до рф pic.twitter.com/1hW7DbJCDZ

— kowalskydonetsk🇺🇦 (@kowalskydonetsk) September 23, 2022

In the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, the question is printed in Russian, the official language of both entities, while in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, the ballots are in Russian and Ukrainian.

What is the voting procedure?

Citizens will be able to vote for five days starting this Friday. In the first four days, the members of the electoral commissions will go to collect the votes at the homes, a measure that the pro-Russian authorities have justified with the need to guarantee the security of the voters in the midst of the military campaign.

Polling stations will open only on the last day of voting.

Voters at a mobile polling station in the town of Krasny Yar, Luhansk region, Ukraine, on September 23, 2022.

Ukraine's Lugansk Governor Serhai Haidai has called the vote "elections without elections," referring to officials going door-to-door to allow people to vote from home. Haidai has said that "they fill some papers in the kitchens, in the apartments, and in the patios. It looks extremely strange. It does not smell of privacy," he has criticized. The Ukrainian leader has also suggested that part of the operation looks for people who might be available for compulsory military service: "[They] patrol apartment by apartment/yard: this is solely for the purpose of checking the apartments to identify the men. The occupants are only looking for 'cannon fodder'.

What is Ukraine's position?

The Kyiv authorities have warned that participation in referendums organized by the "occupation forces" constitutes a crime punishable by up to 12 years in prison.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba declared that "fraudulent referendums will not change anything" and that Ukraine will continue to liberate its territory.

Voters with their documents ready to vote on joining Russia at a polling station in the town of Krasny Yar, Lugansk region, Ukraine, on September 23, 2022.

The president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, warned before the call that, if Russia annexes Ukrainian territory, as it did in 2014 with the Crimean peninsula, there will be no possibility of negotiation to peacefully settle the current armed conflict.

What has the international community said?

The international community has practically unanimously rejected the holding of referendums on joining Russia in the Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russian Army.

The European Union (EU) has condemned the annexation referendums and has made it clear that it will never recognize their results.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres recalled that any annexation of territory by force is a violation of international law.

US President Joe Biden called the referendums "false" and accused Russia of wanting to "end Ukraine's right to exist as a state."

Which countries can recognize the result?

When Russia recognized the independence of Lugansk and Donetsk three days before launching its military invasion of Ukraine, only North Korea, Syria and the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia joined the Kremlin.

Read this also: Voting Begins In The Accession Referendums Called By The Pro-Russian Authorities In Various Regions Of Ukraine