Russia, holding pseudo-referendums in occupied territories, seeks to impose terms of peace agreement on Ukraine, - Berbok
The head of the German Foreign Ministry, Annalena Berbock, once again sharply condemned the holding of so-called "referendums" by Russian forces in the territories of Ukraine controlled by them.
During these "fake referendums, people were taken out of their apartments and workplaces at gunpoint," forcing them to vote, Censor.NET writes with reference to DW. This is the exact opposite of a free and fair vote, Burbok said in Berlin.
She accused the Russian Federation of trying to impose a peace agreement on Ukraine on its terms. But for now, Russia dictates its will in the occupied territories, the citizens there are not safe and not free, the minister emphasized.
It will be recalled that on September 20, the Russian-appointed occupation officials of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions announced that from September 23 to 27, "referendums" on joining the Russian Federation would be held in the occupied territories.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Kremlin will use the falsified results of these sham referendums to illegally annex all Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine and will likely also declare unoccupied parts of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions as part of Russia.
Analysts are convinced that the Kremlin's annexation plans are primarily aimed at a domestic audience; Putin is likely hoping to improve Russia's military formation capabilities by urging Russians to voluntarily go to war to "protect" Russia's newly claimed territories.
On September 23, representatives of the Russian occupation administrations in the territories of eastern and southern Ukraine announced the start of "referendums".
The "Group of Seven" has already condemned the holding of "referendums" in the occupied Ukrainian territories, promising to introduce additional sanctions. Dozens of countries have issued similar statements.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that fake "referendums" and hybrid "mobilization" will not change anything for the Russian Federation.
On September 28, Kremlin puppets in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk regions announced the results of their pseudo-referendums for joining the Russian Federation. Presumably, the results speak in favor of the regions joining the Russian Federation.
