In late September 2022, in the context of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Russian-installed officials in Ukraine staged so-calledreferendums on the annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia.[1][2][3][4] They were widely described assham referendums by commentators and denounced by various countries. The validity of the results of the referendums has only been accepted byNorth Korea.
The votes were conducted in four areas of Ukraine – the Russian-occupied parts ofDonetsk andLuhansk oblasts of Ukraine, and the Russian-appointedmilitary administrations ofKherson Oblast andZaporizhzhia Oblast, captured and occupied in the first week of the 2022 invasion[5][6] – as well as in Russia.[1] At the time of the referendums, Russia did not fully control any of the four regions, where military hostilities were ongoing. Much of the population had fled since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] The referendums were illegal underinternational law and have been condemned by theUnited Nations as violations of theUnited Nations Charter.[8][9]
On 30 September 2022, Russia's presidentVladimir Putin announced theannexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine in an address to both houses of theRussian parliament. The United Nations, Ukraine, and many other countries condemned the annexation.[10]
Under the conditions of Russian military occupation and complete dominance of Russian media, the residents ofDonetsk andLuhansk oblasts of Ukraine were promised the inclusion of these regions into Russia,as with Crimea. As the director of the Donetsk Institute for Social Research and Political Analysis suggested in 2014, it had been decided to refuse accession referendums due to low support for joining Russia: 35% supported it, while 65% saw themselves as part of Ukraine.[11] In Russia, a 2015 poll by theLevada Center showed that 19% of polled Russians wanted eastern Ukraine to become part of Russia.[12] In March 2021, 25% of polled Russians supported the annexation of theDonbas separatist republics to Russia.[13]
In the context of theinvasion of Ukraine, Russian officials spoke about joining even before the deployment of troops: on 21 February, during a meeting of theSecurity Council of Russia,Sergey Naryshkin mixed up the topic of conversation and directly supported their entry into theRussian Federation.[14] The reservation gave rise to many rumors about the reality of this plan. Later, the heads of the DPR and the LPRDenis Pushilin andLeonid Pasechnik announced plans to hold referendums, but with the proviso that voting would be held after the end of the war.[15][16]
On 9 June, on the 350th anniversary of the birth ofPeter the Great, Russian presidentVladimir Putin described the land that had been conquered by Peter in theGreat Northern War against Sweden as land being returned to Russia. He also compared the task facing Russia today to that of Peter's.[17]
In theKherson Oblast, rumours about the creation of the "Kherson People's Republic" or annexation appeared immediately after the occupation in March. Kherson residents responded withrallies under the slogan "Kherson Is Ukraine", which were repressed, with protestors being kidnapped. Local journalist Oleg Baturin, a victim of such a kidnapping, spoke about the use of torture and humiliation against him.[18] Theoccupying authorities of theKharkiv Oblast ruled out a formal vote until Russia occupied the entire region. The Russianmilitary-appointed authorities of theZaporizhzhia Oblast in August signed a decree on preparations for the referendum. However, the decision to hold referendums is not under the jurisdiction of local authorities, but under the administration of the president of Russia.[19]
President of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that holding referendums in the occupied territories would eliminate the possibility fornegotiations for Russia.[19] Deputy Prime Minister of UkraineIryna Vereshchuk added that the participation of Ukrainian citizens in these elections would be regarded ascollaborationism, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property.[20]
According toUkrainian intelligence, before theUkrainian counteroffensive, Russia planned to hold a referendum inKharkiv Oblast in November, with a planned 75% vote in favour.[21][22]
In parallel, on 21 September,Vladimir Putin announcedmobilization in Russia, which indicated the desire of the Russian leadership to further escalate the war with Ukraine.
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The preparation of referendums and the formation of a new image of Russia after the annexation of Ukrainian territories were entrusted to the first deputy head of thepresidential administration,Sergey Kiriyenko. Under his leadership, an image was formulated for an external audience – Russia as a "continent of freedom" for supporters of right-wing ideologies from all over the world.[24]
AsMeduza reported, the organization of the referendums was handled by the RussianState Council's Administration for Ensuring Affairs under the leadership of Alexander Kharichev, a close associate of Kiriyenko. The voting was directly supervised by Kharichev's deputy Boris Rappoport, who is considered a crisis manager and specializes in problematic election campaigns, and since 2014, together withVladislav Surkov, he has been involved in the affairs of the DPR and the LPR. The chief technologist and coordinator of the referendums was the vice-governor ofSevastopol, Sergei Tolmachev.[25]
Rappoport also selected employees and political technologists with experience in working with the opposition for the role of "political instructors" in the occupation administrations. AsMeduza's sources noted, despite salaries of up to 1–2 million rubles a month, few people were ready to go to the occupied territories.[25] and key positions in the governments of the DPR and the LPR were appointed in preparation for the referendums by an official of theMinistry of Industry and Trade,Vitaliy Khotsenko, and a former vice-governor of theKurgan Oblast, Vladislav Kuznetsov. According to the interlocutor of the publication, the Russian authorities planned to soon removeDenis Pushilin andLeonid Pasechnik and replace them with completely controlled functionaries.[26]
According toMeduza, the Russian authorities planned to hold referendums under the slogan "Together with Russia" (it appeared in the campaign in theZaporizhzhia Oblast, and a forum of the same name was held inKherson). The alternative slogan "New Russia", which implied a "new quality" and a stronger Russia, did not pleaseVladimir Putin and members of the Security Council.[25] The IMA-Consulting group, associated with the first deputy head of the presidential administration,Alexey Gromov, was responsible for the campaign preparations for the referendums.[27][28][29]
Russian official Alexander Malkevich of theCivic Chamber of the Russian Federation claimed that over 100 "international observers" from 40 countries were present at the referendums,[30] after Ukrainian intelligence sources had warned that Russian special services had been recruiting foreigners, who would face criminal liability.[31] No observers from international organizations such as theOSCE orCouncil of Europe were present.[32]
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The Russian-led militants of theDonetsk People's Republic and theLuhansk People's Republic declared independence from Ukraine in 2014.[33][34] Pro-Russian separatists held discreditedindependence referendums in May 2014.[35] After invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia started preparations to hold referendums in occupied parts ofDonetsk andLuhansk.[36]
On 19 September, the public chambers of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics appealed to their heads of state with a request to "immediately" hold a referendum on joining Russia.[37][38][39] Soon, theState Duma announced that a referendum on the accession of the LPR to Russia would be held in the autumn "in the near future."[40][41]
On 20 September, thePeople's Council of theLuhansk People's Republic scheduled a referendum on the republic's entry into Russia as afederal subject for 23–27 September.[42] Soon after, thePeople's Council of theDonetsk People's Republic announced that the referendum on the entry of the DPR into the Russian Federation would be held on the same date.[43]
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In the Donetsk People's Republic, the referendum question was phrased asВы за вхождение Донецкой Народной Республики в состав Российской Федерации на правах субъекта Российской Федерации? ("Do you approve of the Donetsk People's Republic being incorporated into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?"). The same wording, with only the name of the republic changed, was used on the ballots issued across the Luhansk People's Republic:Вы за вхождение Луганской Народной Республики в состав Российской Федерации на правах субъекта Российской Федерации? ("Do you approve of the Luhansk People's Republic being incorporated into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?").[44] Since neither entity recognizes the status of Ukrainian as an administrative language of any kind, the text on the ballots was printed exclusively in Russian.[citation needed]
According to the results released by theRussian Central Election Commission through its sections in the DPR and the LPR, 99.23% (2,116,800 voters) supported the annexation inDonetsk and 98.42% (1,636,302 voters) inLuhansk. The turnouts were 97.51% (2,131,207 voters) and 94.15% (1,662,607 voters), respectively.[45][46]
After these figures were released,Leonid Pasechnik, theHead of the Luhansk People's Republic, said that he plans on visiting Moscow to request the admission of Luhansk into the Russian Federation.[47]
The Russian military occupation of parts ofKherson Oblast began on 3 March 2022, when its capital city was captured by the Russian military after the six-dayBattle of Kherson.[5]
On 12 March, Ukrainian officials claimed that Russia was planning to stage a referendum in Kherson to establish the Kherson People's Republic, similar to theDonetsk People's Republic and theLuhansk People's Republic.Serhii Khlan, deputy leader of theKherson Oblast Council, claimed that the Russian military had called all the members of the council and asked them to cooperate.[48]Lyudmyla Denisova,Ombudsman of Ukraine, stated that the referendum would be illegal because "under Ukrainian law any issues over territory can only be resolved by a nationwide referendum".[49] Later that day, the Kherson Oblast Council passed a resolution stating that the proposed referendum would be illegal.[50]
On 11 May 2022,Kirill Stremousov, a deputy head of theKherson military–civilian administration, announced his readiness to send PresidentVladimir Putin with a request for Kherson Oblast to join the Russian Federation, noting that there would be no creation of the "Kherson People's Republic" or referendums regarding this matter.[51] Commenting on these statements, Putin's press secretaryDmitry Peskov said that this issue should be decided by the inhabitants of the region and that "these fateful decisions must have an absolutely clear legal background, legal justification, be absolutely legitimate, as was the case with Crimea".[52]
In June 2022, Stremousov, in a video message on theTelegram channel, said that the Kherson region began to prepare for a referendum on joining Russia.[53] The referendum was going to be prepared by the pro-PutinUnited Russia party, but members fled the region towards the end of July after Ukrainian forces shelled theAntonivka Road Bridge.[54] Authorities in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast region have not ruled out the possibility of a joint referendum.[55][56]
On 5 September, Stremousov announced that the referendum in Kherson Oblast had been postponed due to "security reasons."[57]
On 7 September,Andrey Turchak, secretary-general of the United Russia party, stated that it "would be right and symbolic" to hold the referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine on 4 November, Russia'sUnity Day; Stremousov stated that preparations would be made for this date, "even if we are ready for this referendum to take place right now".[58]
On 20 September, Head of theKherson Oblast Military–Civilian AdministrationVolodymyr Saldo announced that the referendum on the entry of theKherson Oblast into Russia would be held from 23 to 27 September.[59]
The text printed on the ballots is bilingual, with Ukrainian alongside Russian:[44][60]
Do you approve of having Kherson Oblast exit Ukraine, reforming Kherson Oblast into a self-governing state as well as incorporating it into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?
According to the figures released by theKherson regional section of theRussian Central Election Commission, 87.05% (497,051) supported the annexation to the Russian Federation, with 12.05% (68,832) against and 0.9% of ballots invalid, on a turnout of 76.86%.[61]TASS reported that 571,001 voters took part.[45]
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The Russian military occupation of parts ofZaporizhzhia Oblast began on 27 February 2022, when the port city ofBerdiansk was captured by the Russian military after a three-day battle.[6]
In July 2022,Yevhen Balytskyi, the Russian-installed Mayor ofMelitopol and the head of theZaporizhzhia Oblast Military–Civilian Administration, signed an order for the Central Election Commission of Zaporizhzhia to begin investigating the possibility of a referendum for the region to join the Russian Federation.[62] The date of the referendum on the entry of the Zaporizhzhia region into Russia will be determined "as soon as its security and freedom of expression are guaranteed,"Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed main council of the regional administration, told the media.[63]
On 11 August 2022, authorities in the occupied region expressed their desire to hold the referendum on 11 September 2022.[55][64] On 26 August 2022, the Electoral Commission for the preparation of a referendum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast began work.[65]
On 22 September, Balytskyi announced that the referendum on the entry of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast into Russia will be held from 23 to 27 September.[59] This would include all of Zaporizhzhia, including territories not controlled by the Russian military administration. Vladimir Rogov, a collaborator with the Russian administration, demanded Ukrainian troops leave the region "immediately," and that after the referendum "they will be considered occupiers." At the time of the referendum Russia controlled 73% of the region's territory but not its capital, the town ofZaporizhzhia.[66]
On the first day of the "referendum", Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Main Council of MCA, said that the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast will bede jure independent for "some time" following the referendum.[67]
The text printed on the ballots is bilingual, with Ukrainian alongside Russian:[44][68]
Do you approve of having Zaporizhzhia Oblast exit Ukraine, reforming Zaporizhzhia Oblast into a self-governing state as well as incorporating it into the Russian Federation with subject rights of the Russian Federation?
On 27 September, Russian officials of theCentral Election Commission in Zaporizhzhia claimed that the referendum passed, with 93.11% (of 541,093 voters) favoured joining the Russian Federation.[69][45] The declared turnout was 85.4%.[70] According to the data provided by the commission, the support for the annexation was 90.01% in theMelitopol Raion, while in its administrative center, Melitopol, it was 96.78%.[71]
On 8 August 2022,Ekaterina Gubareva, deputy head of the Kherson Civilian-Military Administration announced the annexation of occupied territories ofMykolaiv Oblast. She also claimed that in some occupied towns, Russian mobile communications have begun to work. According to her, such a decision was made in order to provide the population with social payments in the "liberated" territories, as well as to establish mobile communications and television broadcasting.[72][73]
On 13 August 2022, the head of themilitary-civilian administration of the Mykolaiv Oblast,Yuriy Barbashov claimed that a referendum would take place inSnihurivka to join Russia. The referendum would be aligned with the one in Kherson Oblast. Moreover,Ekaterina Gubareva, deputy head of the military-civilian administration of Kherson, claimed that occupied parts of Mykolaiv Oblast would be annexed into Kherson Oblast. It was said that the referendum would take place in September.[74][75]
Snihurivka people protested against the sham referendum.[76]
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On 8 July 2022,Vitaly Ganchev, the Russian-appointed head of themilitary-civilian administration ofKharkiv Oblast, said that Kharkiv is an 'inalienable' part of Russian territory and intends for Kharkiv to be annexed by theRussian Federation.[77] But on 11 August, Ganchev told theRussia-24 TV channel that the authorities of the areas of Kharkiv Oblast controlled byRussian troops are not yet ready to discuss a referendum on joining Russia, because "only 20 percent and no more" of the region is under Russian control.[78] Residents lacking food were denied aid unless they submitted information for the voting register.[79] TheSecurity Service of Ukraine (SBU) assessed that a similar referendum would have occurred in Kharkiv Oblast if not for theUkrainian counteroffensive in September that forced Russia to retreat from most of the territory it occupied.[80]
There are no public independent statistics on attitudes towards referendums in the occupied territories. A survey taken before theRussian invasion of Ukraine by theKyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) suggested that support for joining theRussian Federation ranges from 1% inKherson Oblast to 13.2% inLuhansk Oblast. According to closed polls commissioned by the Russian authorities in July 2022, about 30% of those surveyed supported joining Russia, about 30% supported staying in Ukraine, and the rest declined to answer.[81][25][28]
In the poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between 13 and 18 May 2022, 77% of Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory said they did not support any territorial concessions to Russia, even if it would prolong the war.[82] A KIIS poll conducted in September 2022 found that 87% of Ukrainians opposed any territorial concessions to Russia, up from 82% in May 2022. Only 24% of ethnicRussians in Ukraine supported territorial concessions to Russia.[83]
Many Ukrainians have fled Russian-occupied territories to avoid referendums and living in territory annexed by Russia.[84][85] According to Ukrainian journalist Serhiy Harmash, "In Kherson and the region of Zaporizhzhia, many hate Russia — but in Donetsk and Luhansk, people have had their heads filled withpropaganda for the past eight years."[86]
Military analysts link the decision to hold referendums with the weakness of the Russian Federation on the battlefield.[87] Their announcement followed therapid advance of the Ukrainian army in the weeks prior, defeating Russian troops in theKharkiv direction and on the offensive in the east and south. Analysts estimate Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops, has announced amobilisation to recruit new soldiers, and is facing mounting backlash over its long-term invasion and the general mobilisation order.[88][89] Sources such asThe Guardian have called the referendums pre-determined and assumed that Russia will dictate that the results will favour annexation.[90]
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During the first four days, only specific people were able to vote, and it was possible to vote in adjoining territories. On the last day, 27 September, polling stations would open for residents. The occupation authorities explained this decision by concern for the safety of residents, many of whom had to vote in front-line settlements.[91]
Voters were coerced into voting[92] with armed soldiers going door to door to collect votes. Ballots were filled out by the soldiers rather than the voters themselves (voters were required to give their votes verbally to a soldier, who wrote on a sheet of paper[93]). Individuals were not allowed to vote, as there was only one vote allowed per household.[94][95][96][97] Voters did not need any form of identification in order to cast a vote.[98] The events ended on 27 September, although, according to the UK ambassador to Ukraine, the final results had likely already been decided beforehand.[99] According to a contributor at theWashington Law Review, Russia will try to use the illegal referendums to give official justification for the annexation of additional Ukrainian territory and for possible negotiations with Ukraine about its NATO status, which is currently unclear due to conflicting statements in past Ukrainian law.[100]
The election commissions began work at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time on 23 September. Polling stations for "voting" opened in Russia at the same time.[102]
On the first day of "voting", rallies were held in Russian cities "in support of referendums on joining Russia" in the occupied Ukrainian regions. In a number of cases, students were offered money and additional points for participating in the rally.[103]
Anonymous local residents of the cities complained that along with the "election commissions" walking around the apartments, there were military men with automatic rifles, and that "there is no secret ballot." Head of the Luhansk Regional Military–Civil AdministrationSerhii Haidai said that "commissioners" threatened to break down doors, collected names of those who voted "no", and used the opportunity to identify men eligible for conscription.[79] Residents ofBerdiansk told reporters that there were many tents with Russian propaganda in the centre of the city, and there were also volunteers with ballot boxes.[104]
According to data published by the organizers, on the third day of the referendum, the turnout exceeded 50% in the DPR, LPR and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Russian media – which makes the referendums "valid".[105]
According to the organizers and Russian media, the referendum was recognized as "valid" in the Kherson Oblast: according to their data, more than 50% of voters were able to vote there.[106]
Unlike previous days, on the fifth day of polling, the referendum was held at polling stations.[107]
The government considers the referendum illegitimate,[108] and has accused Russia of coercing residents to vote, as well as busing in sympathetic voters from Crimea.[109]
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Former Russian president and Deputy Chairman of theRussian Security Council,Dmitry Medvedev posted on Telegram that "The referendums are over, the results are clear. Welcome home, to Russia!".[110]
A number of Russian experts, including Mikhail Minakov and Oleg Ignatov, pointed out that the referendums were illegal even per Russian law and the fact that they were conducted without any form of control over significant parts of the territories was described as a unique precedent that undermined even slightest illusions of their legality.[111]
In March 2024, Vladimir Putin praised the "return" of the annexed territories to Russia, saying, "As forNovorossiya, as for the Donbas, the people living there ... declared their desire to return to their native family. Their way back to their homeland turned out to be harder, more tragic, but nevertheless, we did it."[112]
United Nations: UN Secretary-GeneralAntónio Guterres called the referendums a "violation of theUN Charter and international law".[8] Some days later he said, "The Charter is clear. Any annexation of a State's territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law. ... [T]he so-called 'referenda'" cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will.[113]
TheOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE): Heads of OSCE condemned the plans to hold referendums on Ukraine's occupied territories, calling it illegal under both international and Ukrainian law.[114]
NATO:Secretary General of NATOJens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter that "Sham referendums have no legitimacy and do not change the nature of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This is a further escalation in Putin's war".[115]
EU:High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyJosep Borrell stated that "The European Union strongly condemns these planned illegal 'referenda' which go against the legal and democratically elected Ukrainian authorities".[116][117]
Australia:Minister for Foreign AffairsPenny Wong stated "The areas of Ukraine currently occupied by Russian forces are the sovereign territory of Ukraine. No sham referendum will change this."[118]
Austria:Austrian Foreign Ministry stated "the sham referenda lack any legitimacy under international law and will not be recognized".[119]
Brazil: Permanent representative to the United Nations, Ronaldo Costa Filho, stated that "it is unreasonable to assume that populations in areas in conflict can freely express their will."[120]
Bulgaria:Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Moscow's nuclear rhetoric and so-called referenda "amplify the necessity of consistent support" for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.[121]
Canada: Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau said on Twitter that Canada and theG7 "will never recognize the outcome".
People's Republic of China:State Councilor and Foreign MinisterWang Yi said that sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected.[122]
Czech Republic:
Denmark:Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen condemned the referendums and called them "illegally orchestrated by Russia on Ukrainian soil" and added "they have nothing to do with the will of the people".[126]
Estonia:Prime MinisterKaja Kallas tweeted "We will never recognize this" and "Ukraine has every right to take back its territory."[127] PresidentAlar Karis signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]
Finland:PresidentSauli Niinistö andPrime MinisterSanna Marin condemned Russia's sham referendums and stated that Finland will not recognise any attempt to annex parts of Ukraine.[128]
France:PresidentEmmanuel Macron called the referendums a "farce" and stated that France would not recognise the results.[129]
Georgia: TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs condemned the referendums, reaffirming support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.[130]
Germany:ChancellorOlaf Scholz strongly criticised the idea of Russia holding referendums in parts of Ukraine.[131] He said it is "quite clear these sham referendums cannot be accepted", citing their illegitimacy according to "international law and by the understandings that the world community has found".[132]
Ghana: Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Harold Adlai Agyeman stated that the international community "cannot continue to live in parallel universes" and urged Russia to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine.[120]
Hungary: Minister of the Prime Minister's OfficeGergely Gulyás announced that Hungary does not recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territory by Russia.[133]
India: TheSpokesperson of the Ministry of External AffairsArindam Bagchi expressed support for "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine.[134]
Indonesia:PresidentJoko Widodo remarked that the referendum further complicates peace negotiations to resolve the conflict.[135]
Iran:Spokesperson of theIranian Ministry of Foreign AffairsNasser Kanaani emphasized the necessity of observing territorial integrity under international law.[136]
Ireland: Irish Foreign MinisterSimon Coveney stated that Ireland rejects the "sham referendums" and that "Ireland will never recognise Russian claims to illegally-annexed parts of Ukraine, and will remain steadfast in its support for the people of Ukraine."[137]
Israel: TheIsraeli Foreign Ministry announced that Israel will not recognize the results of the referendum held in four occupied districts in eastern Ukraine. In a published message it is written that "Israel recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and will not recognize the results of the referendums in the eastern regions of Ukraine".[138]
Japan: In a phone call with President Zelenskiy, Japanese Prime MinisterFumio Kishida strongly condemned Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory, saying that "the process Russia called a referendum and its annexation of parts of Ukraine should never be accepted."[139]
Kazakhstan:Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov stated that Kazakhstan will not recognise the referendums. He also added that "Kazakhstan proceeds from the principles of territorial integrity of states, their sovereign equivalence and peaceful coexistence".[140]
Latvia: PresidentEgils Levits signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]
Lithuania: PresidentGitanas Nausėda signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]Minister of National Defence and historianArvydas Anušauskas compared the annexation referendums to the rigged 1940 parliamentary elections inLithuania,Latvia andEstonia that led to the annexation ofSoviet-occupied Baltic states in 1940.[141]
Mexico: Permanent Representative to the UNJuan Ramón de la Fuente, stated that any attempt to change borders of Ukraine by using threats and other means violates international law.[120]
Moldova:PresidentMaia Sandu stated that "the Republic of Moldova respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and considers "false" the so-called referendums held by the Russian Federation in several Ukrainian regions", adding that Moldova "does not recognize any actions taken after the fake referendums" and that the 2022 invasion had "dramatically affected"Moldova–Russia relations.[142]
Montenegro: PresidentMilo Đukanović signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]
Netherlands:Prime MinisterMark Rutte, said "Let it be clear that this annexation, like that ofCrimea, will never be accepted by The Netherlands. The world will not accept thatPutin changes borders with the stroke of a pen."[143]
New Zealand: Foreign MinisterNanaia Mahuta said "Aotearoa New Zealand does not recognise the results of the sham referenda in Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine"[144]
North Korea: Director general of the Department of International Organizations of the Foreign Ministry Jo Chol Su stated that "We respect the will of the residents who aspired toward the integration into Russia and support the Russian government's stand of making the above-said regions components of Russia."[145]
North Macedonia: PresidentStevo Pendarovski signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]
Poland: PresidentAndrzej Duda stated that the referendums are worth nothing and Poland will not recognise the results,[146] and signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories[123]
Romania:Foreign Minister of RomaniaBogdan Aurescu called the referendums "completely unacceptable" and reiterated Romania's support for the "independence, sovereignty & territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognised borders".[147] PresidentKlaus Iohannis signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]
Serbia: Minister of Foreign Affairs of SerbiaNikola Selaković said that the country will not recognise the results of the referendums.[148]
Singapore: Singapore'sMinistry of Foreign Affairs stated that "The decision by the Russian Federation to formally annex the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson violates international law and the UN Charter, and that the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected."[149][150]
Slovakia: PresidentZuzana Čaputová, Speaker of the National CouncilBoris Kollár and Prime MinisterEduard Heger strongly condemned the "pseudo-referendums" in a joint statement, emphasizing that the Slovak Republic recognizes Ukraine as an independent and sovereign state whose territorial integrity within internationally recognised borders must not be questioned.[151] She also signed a joint statement that rejects Russian attempts to illegally annex Ukrainian territories.[123]
Spain: TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "illegal voting shams organised in Ukraine", stressing the government's "firm support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders".[152]
Sweden: TheSwedish prime ministerMagdalena Andersson stated in a press conference that the referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine is "nothing but a farce".[153]
Switzerland: TheFederal Council stated that Russia, as the occupying power, is obliged under international law to comply with international humanitarian law, human rights and the existing Ukrainian legal system and that the occupying power does not gain sovereignty over the area. Switzerland will not recognize the result of the so-called referendum. TheFederal Department of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Russian ambassador to convey Switzerland's position.[154]
Republic of China (Taiwan): TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China condemned the annexation and reaffirms that it stands with like-minded countries in neither recognizing the outcomes of the sham referendums held by Russia nor accepting the actions taken by Russia to illegally annex Ukrainian territory.[155]
Turkey: PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan has maintained a constructive relationship with both NATO and Russia, but decried the attempt with a public statement reading in part, "Such illegitimatefaits accomplis will not be recognised by the international community. On the contrary, they will complicate efforts to revitalise the diplomatic process and deepen instability".[156]
United Arab Emirates: Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Mohamed Abushahab stated that referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine will complicateRussia–Ukraine peace negotiations.[120]
United Kingdom:Foreign SecretaryJames Cleverly said the UK had evidence that Russian officials had already set targets for "invented voter turnouts and approval rates for these sham referenda".[157]
United States: PresidentJoe Biden, speaking at theUN General Assembly, denounced the "sham referenda" and stated that the United States will not recognize the results.[158][159]As a result of the sham referendums and of the subsequent annexation, anInternet meme portraying a satirical annexation ofKaliningrad Oblast by theCzech Republic as the "Královec Region" (Czech:Královecký kraj) emerged.[162]
The referendums have resulted in annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts of Ukraine by Russia.[163][164]
On 22 September, Deputy Chairman of theRussian Security CouncilDmitry Medvedev said that any weapons in Moscow's arsenal, includingstrategic nuclear weapons, could be used to protect territories annexed to Russia from Ukraine. He also said that referendums organized by Russia-installed and separatist authorities would take place in large swathes of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and that there was "no turning back".[165] Medvedev said that Donbas republics and other territories "will be accepted into Russia" andmobilisation will also be used to protect the annexed territories.[165] Russian senatorKonstantin Kosachev warned that after the referendums, "protecting people in this region will not be our right, but our duty. An attack on people and territories will be an attack on Russia. With all the consequences."[166] Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov did not rule out theuse of nuclear weapons to defend annexed Ukrainian territories.[167]
Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of occupiedMelitopol, stated that the main reason for the pseudo-referendum in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast is to conscript local men into military service for Russia, just as was the case in the "people's republics" of the Donbas region during themobilization in Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics on 19 February 2022.[168]
Some estimates suggest that reconstruction of the war-torn annexed territories would cost Russia between $100 and $200 billion.[169] The reconstruction ofMariupol alone will likely cost more than $14 billion.[170]
On 29 September, theKremlin announced that Putin would sign treaties on the following day toformally annex territory from Ukraine.[171][172] According toThe Guardian, the territories were not named, but Kremlin reporters indicated that four treaties would be signed, which corresponds to the four regions Russia in which the referendums were organized.[173] Putin's press secretaryDmitry Peskov said that agreements "on the accession of new territories into the Russian Federation" will be signed "with all four territories that held referendums and made corresponding requests to the Russian side," and that Putin would "deliver a major speech on the subject."[174]
On the same day, Putin recognized the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions asindependent countries, hours before signing a decree on the annexation of all four regions.[175][176]
Jeg fordømmer på det kraftigste de såkaldte folkeafstemninger ulovligt orkestreret af Rusland på ukrainsk jord", skriver hun på Twitter og fortsætter: "De har intet med befolkningens vilje at gøre
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